BARABOO, Wis. (WMTV) – Chances are high that you’ve seen sandhill cranes roaming around your neighborhood, but few people have had the opportunity to see one species of the bird in Wisconsin.
Standing 5 feet tall, it’s the tallest bird in America. The endangered species is easy to identify, but hard to spot.
“They have a brilliant white plumage throughout their entire body, a featherless red patch on the crown of their head, black mustache-like mask…” details Stephanie Schmidt, lead outreach biologist at the International Crane Foundation. “…A pretty impressive 7-8 foot wingspan with black feathers at the tips.”
Whooping cranes. There are roughly 650 left in the world, according to Schmidt. In Wisconsin? “We’re looking at about 68 individuals in that population.”
Whooping cranes were once on the edge of extinction, but thanks to the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, their numbers continue to grow. (wmtv)
It’s a staggering statistic that brings Schmidt to Baraboo.
“Monitoring the wild population, getting an idea of the spaces and the places they’re using across the year, so we can better protect those spaces,” she started. “And we’re continuing to supplement or support the growth.”
The International Crane foundation is heavily involved in the Whooping Crane Reintroduction Project.
“This year in our eastern migratory population of whooping cranes we had 22 nests, hatched 7 chicks and we’ve had one chick whos survived until fledging,” Schmidt detailed.
The species require wetlands for survival, an ongoing fight or flight for breeding grounds.
“Our whooping cranes continue to be threatened by things that unfortunately are a result of human actions,” Schmidt explained. “Things like disturbances at the nest site, poaching continues to have an impact on whooping cranes, unfortunately we see the average age of a poacher is just 26 years old. Other threats like new energy development, power lines, causing about 20% of the mortalities in our eastern population.”
With conservation at its core, the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo is the only place in the world you can see every species of crane.
“So we are a zoo we’re just a zoo for cranes!” exclaimed Quinn Brownell, ICF’s interpretive programs coordinator. The nonprofit in 2021 reopened following a $10 million renovation which included a brand new welcome center.
International Crane Foundation located in Baraboo, WI. (wmtv)
“You get to see all 15 cranes of the world in our exhibits,” Brownell noted, calling the birds ambassadors of their species. The nonprofit headquartered in Baraboo offers public tours every day during summer at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Tours are offered on the weekends as well through October.
“Historically we would have seen them [whooping cranes] in Wisconsin, but they were extricated at one point so we couldn’t find them…” Brownell explained. “It’s only recently due to reintroductions in our eastern migratory population that we now see whooping cranes back in Wisconsin.”
Both Schmidt and Brownell are taking pride in the role the ICF and Wisconsinites play in seeing the population soar again, but the two said there’s plenty of work to be done with room for growth.
“My biggest hopes is that they’ll have an opportunity to be inspired by some of the work that we do. Have a close and personal look at these birds and feel some of those same feelings, that we do, that it is our obligation to protect these species so we can see them out in the landscape not just at our site but across the state,” said Schmidt.
So that over time, whooping cranes may be spotted in a neighborhood near you.
The plates are now available for order from WisDOT. (Wisconsin Department of Transportation)
Wisconsin drivers can now rep and share the beauty of two of the state’s largest bird species while on the roads.
You can order a specialty license plate from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. For each plate, the International Crane Foundation receives a $25 donation to further their work.
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