Whooper Visits Arcadia Marsh

whooping crane (photo by Wild Horizons, taken in Wisconsin)

from an article at M-Live

One ofthe rarest birds in North America put in an appearance at Arcadia Marsh in northern Manistee (Michigan) County.

The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, which manages the restored marsh, made the announcement that a whooper visited this spring. Whooping cranes have made a comeback from a population of 23 birds to a current population of 800-900. This is a rare success story of hard-core protection, breeding, and reintroduction efforts over decades. They are still federally listed as Endangered.

Grus americana is the tallest native bird in North America, at around 5 feet. There is a small breeding population in Wisconsin, and this visitor is probably a stray from that migratory group.

The GTRLC said, “Although our visitor has moved on, we are grateful it found Arcadia Marsh, Arcadia Dunes, and the surrounding mosaic of land suitable for a stopover. It is a good indicator that decades of land protection and restoration are providing resources to wildlife that require healthy habitats to thrive.”

See Arcadia Marsh


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