A record eight whooping crane chicks have taken wing in Louisiana after hatching in the wild. It’s not just a record for fledglings of the world's rarest crane in Louisiana, but for any flock of the endangered birds reintroduced to the wild, the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said Thursday.
The previous record was set in 2018, when six wild-hatched birds fledged in the flock that was taught to migrate between Wisconsin and Florida by following ultralight aircraft, department biologist Sara Zimorski said in an email. That same year was Louisiana's previous record wild fledgling year, at five.
