Central Platte Wildlife
Why is the Central Platte
Region Important?
 A Whooping Crane's
First Year
 Whooping Crane History

A Whooping Crane's First Year

Baby whooping cranes go through many changes as they grow into adults. Many chicks are raised by humans at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center as part of a reintroduction program. Learn more about whooper chicks and how they are raised by following our whooper timeline.
Hatching Day 1-3 Day 5-8 Day 9 Day 11 Day 30-65 Day 91 1 year
Hatching Day 1-3 Day 5-8 Day 9 Day 11 Day 30-65 Day 91 1 year
Hatching - A whooping crane is born! Whooper Tidbits!
Whooping crane egg

A tiny hole! Only a little more work and I’ll be free!
Whooping crane hatchling

Whew! I made it! Chipping away at
the shell sure is hard work!


All photos copyright U.S. Geological Survey.
An average whooping crane egg is four inches long and weighs seven ounces.
Eggs are incubated for approximately 30 days. In the wild, both parents take turns caring for the eggs.
The color of the egg varies from soft blue to tan with brown splotches, which keeps the egg well hidden in the nest.
In the wild, whooping cranes often lay two eggs, but only one chick survives.
When a chick is ready to hatch, it must break through the egg’s air cell so it can breathe. Then it starts to chip away at the inside of the egg. Soon it will break through the shell. The chick will then begin chipping away at the shell until he has made a hole the size of a dime. From this hole, the chick will work its way around the egg until it cuts off the top of the egg. Once it has done this, the chick kicks its way out.

Related Resources

Stalking the Wild Whooper in Nebraska

NWF's work to help the whooping crane

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