Nebraska Game and Parks Commision and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources has been working together, researching the change in whooping crane migration. They have determined the endangered birds are migrating earlier in the spring and later in the fall.
Thestudy states that since 1942 spring migration of whooping cranes occurs as many as 22 days earlier in spring and about 21 days later in fall. The study analyzes data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Cooperative Whooping Crane Tracking Project and includes all confirmed whooping crane sightings in the Central Flyway.
The whooping crane migration comes from Aransas-Wood Buffalo population and travels through Nebraska and the Central Flyway between wintering areas along the Gulf Coast of Texas and breeding sites in northeastern Alberta, Canada, each spring and fall.
With the change in migration pattern, it will add challenges in the conservation of this critically endangered species.
The studys lead author is Joel Jorgensen with Game and Parks nongame bird program manager. The co-author is Mary Bomberger Brown with University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources.
