Current Whooping Crane Research

The Centre for Conservation Research (CCR) is interested in the process of incubation in whooping cranes. Of the stages involved in the captive reproduction of whooping cranes, from pair bond formation through insemination and incubation to the rearing of chicks and reintroduction of juveniles, incubation is one of the least studied and least understood.

A thorough understanding of the factors that affect incubation in whooping cranes should help maximize the output from the conservation breeding program to support the ongoing recovery of this highly endangered species.

The CCR has focused on the following aspects of whooping crane incubation:

1. Eggshell characteristics and hatching success in a captive whooping crane population.


2. Factors that predict hatching success of fertile whooping crane eggs in a captive population.

3. Microclimate (environment inside the egg) experienced by whooping crane eggs in artificial and natural     incubation environments in a conservation breeding program.

4. Comparison of captive adult whooping crane behaviour between parenting and non-parenting pairs        in large and small enclosures.