A tall white whooping crane standing in grass. — Photo: Sasata, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Whooping Crane

Grus americana

North America's tallest bird, a white crane with a booming call that is slowly recovering from near extinction.

🪿 Wading Birds

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About the Whooping Crane

Whooping cranes stand about 5 feet tall with a 7-foot wingspan, making them the tallest birds in North America. They are white with black wingtips, dark legs and yellow eyes. The only self-sustaining wild flock winters at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas and breeds in Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada. They eat blue crabs, wolfberries, small animals and leftover grain.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Grus americana^[1]
Size: About 5 feet tall; 7-foot wingspan.^[1]
Lifespan: 22 to 30 years in the wild; 35 to 40 in human care.^[1]
Diet: Omnivore. Blue crabs, wolfberries, invertebrates, snakes, rodents and leftover grain.^[1]
Habitat: Wetlands; nests on plant mounds surrounded by water.^[1]
Where it lives: Winters in coastal Texas; breeds in Canada's Northwest Territories.^[1]
Group life: Pairs or small family groups. Active by day.^[1]
Babies: 2 eggs, incubated for 30 to 35 days.^[1]
Conservation status: Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2020).^[2]

Fun facts

A whooping crane's windpipe coils into its breastbone, making its call extra loud.^[1]
Crane chicks can't fly, but they can swim to escape predators.^[1]
People once led young cranes on migration with an ultralight plane.^[1]

Vocabulary

crane: A tall bird with long legs and a long neck.
trachea: The windpipe, a tube that carries air to the lungs.
migrate: To travel from one region to another with the seasons.
monogamous: Having only one mate.
endangered: A conservation label meaning a species faces a very high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Smithsonian's National ZooWashington, D.C. · Bird HouseSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Whooping crane.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/whooping-crane (accessed 2026-10-08)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Grus americana (Whooping Crane).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22692156/181242855 (accessed 2026-10-08)

Facts last checked 2026-10-08.

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