The flock of 18 young whooping cranes, which spent several days in Winnebago County this fall, have arrived in their Florida wintering grounds after a 76-day, 1,234 mile journey.
The flock followed three ultralight planes flown by Operation Migration pilots from Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin to the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge near Crystal River, Fla.

Whooping cranes, the tallest bird in North America, were nearly extinct in the 1940s when only about 20 were left. Today there are more than 350

The birds were hatched in captivity and then raised at Necedah by workers, who wearing crane-like costumes whenever working with the birds to keep them as shy as possible of humans.

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‘Huge relief’ as all 18 whooping cranes finish migration to Fla. — Rockford Register Star
See the Operation Migration Field Journal