TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE Whooping Crane Grus americana TPWD PHOTO Whooping cranes are one of the rarest bird species in North America. Although they breed in Canada during the summer months, whooping cranes migrate to Texas’ coastal plains near Rockport for the winter months. COASTAL WETLANDS Whooping Crane Grus americana APPEARANCE BEHAVIOR Height: 5 feet (1.5 m) Whooping cranes begin their fall migration south to Texas in Wingspan: 7.5 feet (2.3 m) mid-September and begin the spring migration north to Canada in late March or early April. They mate for life, but will accept a Distinguishing Characteristics new mate if one dies. The mated pair shares brooding duties; • White with rust-colored patches on top and back of head either the male or the female is always on the nest. The hatch- • Black feathers on both sides of the head lings will stay with their parents throughout their first winter, • Yellow eyes and separate when the spring migration begins. The sub-adults • Primary wing feathers are black but are visible only in flight. form groups and travel together. • Long, black legs and bills NOW YOU KNOW! LIFE HISTORY • Whooping cranes live in “families” with two adult birds, a Range: Limited in Texas to the migratory flyway male and a female, and one or two of their young. Whooping and coastal plain around Aransas. cranes migrate more than 2,400 miles a year. Diet: Crabs, clams, crayfish, snails, minnows, • As many as 1,400 whooping cranes migrated across North frogs, larval insects and leeches; occa- America in the mid-1800s. By the late 1930s, the Aransas sionally voles, lemmings and shrews; population was down to just 18 birds. Because of well- sometimes acorns and small fruit coordinated efforts to protect habitat and the birds them- Sexual maturity: Between three and five years selves, the population is slowly increasing. In 1993, the Mating season: Early spring population stood at 112. In the spring of 2002, it is estimat- Nest: Made of bulrushes about 4 feet (1.2 m) ed that there were 173 whoopers—a small, but important wide with a flat-topped central mound increase. up to 5 inches (12 cm) above the water • Today, three populations exist: one in the Kissimmee Prairie Eggs: Two of Florida, the only migratory population at Aransas National Incubation: 29 to 31 days Wildlife Refuge, and a very small captive-bred population in Young: Generally, one chick survives. It can Wisconsin. leave the nest while quite young, but is still protected and fed by its parents. WHOOPING CRANES AND Chicks are rust-colored when they PEOPLE hatch; at about four months, chicks’ feathers begin turning white. By the end Whooping cranes are protected in Canada, the Unites States of their first migration, they are brown and Mexico. Because some of their habitat is federally protect- and white, and as they enter their first ed, the land is managed to preserve the animals. The greatest spring, their plumage is white with threats to whooping cranes are man-made: power lines, illegal black wing tips. hunting, and habitat loss. Because the Gulf International Life span: Up to 24 years in the wild Waterway goes through their habitat area, the cranes are susceptible to chemical spills and other petroleum-related HABITAT contamination. Public awareness and support are critical to whooping cranes’ survival as a species. Whooping cranes winter on the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge’s 22,500 acres of salt flats and marshes. The area’s coastal prairie rolls gently here and is dotted with swales and ponds. They summer and nest in poorly drained wetlands in Canada’s Northwest Territories at Wood Buffalo National Park. PWD LF K0700-849A (8/02) NOTICE: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department receives federal financial assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior and its bureaus prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex (in educational programs). If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any Texas Parks and Wildlife Department program, activity, or facility, or if you desire further information, please call or write: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office for Diversity and Civil Rights Programs - External Programs, 4040 N. Fairfax Drive, Webb 300, Arlington, VA 22203, (703) 358-1724. TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE Common Raccoon Procyon lotor TPWD PHOTO Raccoons are curious, unique, and intelligent creatures. These characteristics help them survive in the wild, but can also make for annoying neighbors. Though they prefer woodlands, they can live practically anywhere and have adapted well to human habitats. COASTAL WETLANDS Common Raccoon Procyon lotor APPEARANCE HABITAT Length: 33 to 45 in. (84 to104.5 cm) Raccoons prefer brushy or wooded areas near streams, lakes or Weight: 7 to 20 lb. (3 to 9 kg) swamps, although they can live close to developed areas if sufficient food, water and cover are provided. Distinguishing Characteristics • Gray, with dark black markings around their eyes, and black bands on their tail BEHAVIOR • Belly and muzzle are lighter colored while the feet are darker gray. Raccoons are almost exclusively nocturnal. During the day they • Coat is medium length and coarse, and the tail is very bushy. sleep in dens in the trees. During cold winter periods, they may • Dexterous hands. Hands and feet have five fingers and toes. sleep for an extended period, but do not hibernate. They are • Stocky with short legs primarily solitary, and will only gather with other raccoons • Small rounded ears during breeding season. Raccoons are polygamous, they have a number of partners. Males do not stay to help raise the young. LIFE HISTORY NOW YOU KNOW! Range: North America Diet: Fruits and nuts, insects and aquatic • Raccoons have excellent night vision and an acute sense of invertebrates, fish, small rodents, frogs, hearing. bird eggs, carrion and human garbage • They are very agile climbers and strong swimmers. Predators: Owls, coyotes, bobcats and humans • They use their nimble fingers to feel stream bottoms for food, Sexual maturity: Male: 2 years; female: 1 year to climb trees and to open containers and garbage cans. They Mating season: Mid to late summer can find their way into a house to get food. Gestation and birth: 60 to 74 days; four cubs • Home ranges are about 3-4 square km, about half as small Young: Baby raccoons’ ears and eyes open for females. about 18-24 days after birth. They can walk around by the time they are four to six weeks old. Although they are COMMON RACCOONS AND weaned by three months, they remain with their mothers for another year. PEOPLE Life span: 10 to 15 years The name “raccoon” came from an Algonquian Indian word arakun, which means “he scratches with his hands.” During the 1700s, American colonists dropped the “a” in arakun, and the name became raccoon. Wild raccoons accustomed to being fed by well-intentioned people will generally loose their natural fear of humans and seek to move closer to their food source–your house. Once raccoons take up residence in an attic or outbuildings they can become very destructive and difficult to remove. Malnutrition, diseases like rabies, and predation by humans, coyotes and bobcats take their toll, but raccoon populations are not in decline in most areas of Texas. PWD LF K0700-849B (8/02) NOTICE: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department receives federal financial assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the U.S. Department of the Interior and its bureaus prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex (in educational programs). If you believe that you have been discriminated against in any Texas Parks and Wildlife Department program, activity, or facility, or if you desire further information, please call or write: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office for Diversity and Civil Rights Programs - External Programs, 4040 N. Fairfax Drive, Webb 300, Arlington, VA 22203, (703) 358-1724. TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE Piping Plover Charadrius melodus TPWD PHOTO The piping plover is a “winter Texan,” living on the beaches and tidal mudflats of the Texas coastline and migrating north in the spring. This beautiful little bird finds it hard to survive habitat loss and is listed as a threatened species. COASTAL WETLANDS Piping Plover Charadrius melodus APPEARANCE BEHAVIOR Height: 6 to 7.5 inches (15 to 19 cm) Males compete against each other for females’ attention. They Wingspan: 15 inches (31 cm) perform elaborate flights, and then scrape nests in the sand, tossing shells and small stones and twigs into them with their Distinguishing Characteristics beaks. After their nests are built, they stand beside them with • Sandy-colored with grayish-brown crowns and backs their wings partially spread and tails fanned. The males repeat • White foreheads and dark bands across their crowns this behavior until a female indicates interest. Once he has her • Dark, but incomplete rings around their necks. attention, he begins a high-stepping “dance,” continuing the • Yellow-orange legs, black bands across their foreheads from courtship ritual. Although both sexes share responsibility for eye to eye, and black rings around the base of their necks.