Whooping Crane Chick Survival in the Reintroduced Eastern Migratory Population

Area of Science:

• Avian ecology
• Conservation biology
• Wildlife management

Background:

• The Eastern Migratory Population (EMP) of Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) shows breeding success but suffers from low recruitment due to high chick mortality.
• Achieving a self-sustaining population requires increasing recruitment rates above current mortality levels, necessitating effective management strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate factors influencing the survival of wild-hatched Whooping Crane chicks.
• To identify key predictor variables for developing management strategies to increase population recruitment.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of apparent weekly survival data for Whooping Crane chicks (2006-2023) using radio telemetry.
• Application of Cox Proportional Hazard Regression Models to assess relationships between chick survival and variables like parental experience, habitat, weather, and clutch characteristics.

Main Results:

• Whooping Crane chicks without siblings had a higher probability of survival.
• Chick survival increased with greater collective parental experience and the occurrence of warm days (>32°C) in the first four weeks post-hatch.
• Parental experience was identified as a reliable predictor of recruitment.

Conclusions:

• Parental experience is crucial for Whooping Crane recruitment, suggesting adult survival indirectly impacts chick survival.
• Management interventions, such as collecting a single egg from two-egg nests, may enhance weekly chick survival.
• Understanding these factors is vital for the long-term recovery of the Eastern Migratory Population of Whooping Cranes.