The endangered whooping crane has seen a promising expansion of its flock after the Fish and Wildlife Service found a record estimate of whooping cranes in Texas.
The wintering count in the Aransas-Wood Buffalo population grew from an estimated 536 to 557 individuals in the past year, according to a report released Monday. Their findings were consistent with the decadeslong stable growth FWS said has been observed.
“The 2024-2025 wintering grounds survey marks the first time that the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population of whooping cranes has been estimated to exceed 550 individuals, a remarkable achievement for a species that once numbered only 21 individuals,” said Matthew Butler, FWS biologist and lead author of the report, in a news release. “All whooping cranes today are descended from only 14 adults remaining on the Texas coast in 1941.”
The whooping crane was given federal endangered species protections in 1967, making it one of the oldest species on the ESA list. Habitat conservation and captive breeding efforts since the 1970s have contributed to its 4.33 percent average growth rate over 80 years.
