The diets of wild and reintroduced whooping cranes
Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop
Links
- The Publications Warehouse does not have links to digital versions of this publication at this time
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
Abstract: We characterized the diets of the recently established Eastern Migratory Population (EMP) and the extant Aransas Wood Buffalo population (AWBP). Starting in 2013, frozen proventriculus and ventriculus contents from previously collected dead whooping cranes from both populations were examined to identify dietary items and quantity. EMP whooping cranes (n = 29) consumed benthic macro-invertebrates, beetles, crabs/crayfish, vegetation, seeds, mollusks, and unidentifiable vertebrates. The diets of AWBP whooping cranes (n = 7) examined included all the same food items except benthic macro-invertebrates. Both populations also consumed a variety of non-food items, including plastic and metal. Our data suggests that the wild and reintroduced whooping crane populations are consuming similar types and amounts of food items to meet their dietary requirements.
Suggested Citation
Neri, H.A., Olsen, G.H., Kindahl, E.C., and Carney, S.L., 2025, The diets of wild and reintroduced whooping cranes: Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop, v. 16, p. 203-209.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | The diets of wild and reintroduced whooping cranes |
| Series title | Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop |
| Volume | 16 |
| Year Published | 2025 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | University of Nebraska-Lincoln |
| Contributing office(s) | Eastern Ecological Science Center |
| Description | 7 p. |
| First page | 203 |
| Last page | 209 |