The Whooping Crane: North America's Symbol of Conservation

The whooping crane, over four feet in height, and with a seven-foot wingspan, is undoubtedly the most elegant and beautiful of all North American birds. It once flourished in the vast marshlands of a primitive North American continent. With the taming and development of this land, however, this species almost vanished. By the 1940s there were only 20 left. The species, characterized now as the "Symbol of North American Conservation," has been brought from the brink of oblivion, and now in 1966 numbers close to 200.

The success of the recovery effort is due to the work of a wide range of dedicated people over a half-century. These were aviculturists, biologists, federal, state, and provincial officials, zoo keepers, and a far-sighted U.S. Congress.

This book is their story and is compiled by one of those most directly involved in the crane's recovery--Jerome J. Pratt. A founding member of the Whooping Crane Conservation Association, Jerry applied his skills as an aviculturists to developing and promoting a practical strategy for captive breeding these birds.