MIAMI (AP) - One of the few surviving whooping cranes from a failed attempt to establish a Florida-based flock of the endangered birds has made a rare appearance at Lake Okeechobee.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist Tim Dellinger says a surveyor recently spotted the female crane in Glades County on the lake’s western shore.
The bird was one of 37 chicks hatched from 289 captive-bred cranes released between 1999 and 2008. Dellinger tells The Miami Herald (https://hrld.us/1lTwo1D ) that less than a dozen birds from the flock survive, including just a handful of the chicks.
Dellinger says other animals ate the cranes as their wetlands habitat continued to shrink. He remains hopeful for their resurgence, though, and urges anyone who spots a crane to report the sighting on the wildlife commission’s website.
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Information from: The Miami Herald, https://www.herald.com
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