Grus americana
Silhouette: Mathieu Pélissié · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The whooping crane (Grus americana) is an endangered crane species, native to North America, named for its "whooping" calls. Along with the sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis), it is one of only two crane species native to North America, and it is also the tallest North American bird species, with an estimated 22–30+ year life expectancy in the wild. After being pushed to the brink of extinction by unregulated hunting and loss of habitat that left just 21 wild (and two captive) cranes by 1941, the whooping crane made a partial recovery through conservation efforts. The total number of cranes in the surviving migratory population, plus three reintroduced flocks and in-captivity, is just over 830 birds as of 2025. This includes about 560 individuals in the remnant population that migrates between coastal Texas, USA, and the Northwest Territories, Canada, which is termed the "Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population" after the protected areas that anchor the population's wintering and breeding ranges, respectively. Additionally, there are about 140 individuals in two reintroduced populations breeding in Wisconsin and Louisiana, USA, and an additional 130 individuals in captivity. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Abilene Zoological Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | International Crane Foundation | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Milwaukee County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Wildlife World Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Audubon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Calgary Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 11 | Three Sisters Springs | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | San Antonio Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Northeastern Wisconsin Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | The Abilene Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Stone Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Ochsner Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Downtown Aquarium, Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Primarily Primates Inc. | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Three Sisters Springs Trolley | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Whooping Crane sighting in Chicago on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 278th most-seen of the 314 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Whooping Crane in Chicago on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Whooping Crane sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Chicago, in our data
Chicago is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Whooping Crane sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Whooping Crane is recorded against all the birds logged in Chicago (30 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
