Celebrated on May 28th
Did you know: They lay two eggs, but only one chick survives. Chicks are born in early June and are as big as their parents three months later. Chicks are rusty brown and slowly fade through their first year. Favourite foods are insects, seeds, roots, crabs, clams, and snails. During migration, they will eat grains from farm crops.
Source: Nature CanadaDid you know: The Whooping Crane is the tallest bird in North America and the rarest crane species. Adult Whooping Cranes are identified by a red skin patch on their forehead, black “mustache” and legs, and black wing tips visible in flight.
Source: Saving CranesDid you know: Whooping cranes begin to look for mates and form pair bonds while they are still at their winter feeding grounds. When choosing a mate, the cranes perform elaborate displays. They will dance around, flap their wings, and call to a potential mate. The pair bonding continues as they fly to the breeding habitat in the north (the non-migratory population finds a mate and breeds in the same general location).
Source: National Wildlife Federation