Record 8 fledged chicks for Louisiana’s wild ‘whoopers’
By JANET McCONNAUGHEY
Associated Press
A record eight whooping crane chicks have taken wing in Louisiana after hatching in the wild. The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says it’s not just a record for fledglings of the world’s rarest crane in Louisiana, but for any flock reintroduced to the wild. The previous record was set in 2018, when six birds fledged in the flock that was taught to migrate between Wisconsin and Florida by following ultralight aircraft. Both flocks are being nurtured in hope of creating a cushion if anything happens to the only natural flock, which migrates between Texas and Alberta, Canada.
