Once nearly extinct, this tall, bulky white crane remains critically endangered. Adults are almost entirely white with red crown and malar, dark bill, and black legs; wingtips are black in flight. Juvenile has rusty tones in white plumage. Sandhill Crane has gray plumage; egrets are much slimmer and shorter overall.

Length: 133 (cm) Wingspan: 220 (cm)

Voice:

Loud, repeated bugling notes; like Sandhill Crane but much clearer.

Habitat:

Breeds on freshwater marshes, winters on saltwater marshes and wetlands.

Behavior:

Typically seen in small groups. Nest is mound of vegetation on wet ground. In 1941 only 21 birds remained. Now there are several hundred in the wild and in captivity. Conservation efforts have included giving eggs to Sandhill Crane foster parents and using ultralight aircraft to train young migrating cranes.

Feeding:

Forages in open fields or shallow water; eats a variety of crabs, shrimp, clams, amphibians, reptiles, and other small organisms.