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You can spot the cranes by their gray bodies and distinctive bare red crowns. (A Whooping Crane is larger and predominantly white with a red crown and black facial markings.) Our pair of Greater Sandhill Cranes has access to the whole park, but they generally stay around the pond at Safari Camp and nest on the island in the middle. The female crane is slightly smaller than the male and does not have as bold of a personality. The avian staff feed them a commercial pellet designed especially for cranes. In 2001, we were fortunate to have two offspring grow up here and migrate out into the wild. Recent nesting attempts have been unsuccessful.
Red Crowned Cranes
Fossil Rim also holds a breeding pair of Red-Crowned Cranes. Red-Crowned Cranes are the heaviest of the fifteen crane species, weighing up to 25 lbs.! This species breeds in far eastern Russia in the Amur River Basin and winters in Japan and in the d emilitarized zone (DMZ) of Korea. This species is highly endangered (less than 3000 individuals). Unfortunately, no captive breeding programs currently operate because of the turmoil in their native lands. Historically, fertile eggs from captive birds in the United States were transported to Russia to be hatched and the chicks released there. This program has been put on hold until more funding can be secured.
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