Texas Whooping Cranes In Danger Of Significant Die-Off
The last remaining natural flock of endangered whooping cranes is right here in Texas but the birds are in danger this winter because of scarce food supplies. After suffering a record number of deaths last year, the cranes' main source of food---the blue crab---has all but vanished in drought-stricken South Texas.
Allan Strand with the Fish and Wildlife Service says there's probably going to be a significant die-off.
The whooping crane is the tallest bird in North America and was nearly extinct in 1941. There are three flocks now, but the one that travels 2,400 miles each fall from Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast is the only one that migrates without human help.
The most recent survey last week shows 263 birds in the Texas flock with one chick missing and another dead.
Some birds have already left the marshlands to search for food and an extended hunt would burn energy needed to survive the lean winter months.
The cranes are also losing habitat to housing developments that draw even more water out of their nesting grounds along the Guadalupe and San Antonio rivers.
A conservation group has filed paperwork to sue the state for allowing too much water to be taken from the rivers during the crane wintering season.
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