Meanwhile, less than 100 whooping cranes live in the state, International Crane Foundation Eastern Flyways Program director Anne Lacy told the Journal Sentinel last year.

The whooping cranes, part of the eastern migratory population that comes from Wisconsin, started migrating to Alabama in 2004 and their population is about between 12 and 20 each winter, said Young.

by Scott Hurley, FOX 11 News Wed, October 9th 2024 at 8:00 AM ...

The Cranes of Wisconsin design features the whooping crane and sandhill crane species. It's the latest Wisconsin license plate with the proceeds benefitting conservation efforts.

The recent deaths of an estimated 1,500 sandhill cranes in Indiana due to bird flu has increased concerns for endanagered whooping cranes, including those that nest in Wisconsin.

Although sandhill crane populations dipped drastically when European settlers came to the New World, their climb back since the mid-1900s has been steady.

The 34th Tennessee Sandhill Crane Festival is set for Jan. 18-19 (Saturday-Sunday) at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge, Cherokee Removal Memorial Park, and Birchwood Community Center.

"We are very pleased that whooping and sandhill cranes will now grace roadways all around the state and country," Dr. Rich Beilfuss, president and CEO of the International Crane Foundation, said ...