Whooping Crane Priority Stopover Landscapes
The Whooping Crane Priority Stopover Landscapes map illustrates areas or regions where there is a history of whooping crane (Grus americana) use and/or habitat likely used by the species. Whooping crane priority stopover landscapes were based on confirmed whooping crane records (1940 to spring 2010), USFWS designated critical habitat, and various sources describing landscape, land-use and habitat features. The delineated landscapes as a whole have no legal or formal designation, but the federally designated critical habitat within the landscapes does.
These landscapes were identified using existing information. Additional information from on-going whooping crane research and criteria may alter the boundary locations of these landscapes in the future. Currently, the best information consists of confirmed whooping crane records which represent approximately four percent of all whooping crane migratory stopovers based on information from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Due to the critically low number of whooping cranes in the Aransas-Wood Buffalo population, it is advised to avoid developing wind energy within and near areas of known use, such as illustrated in this map. As previously stated in this document, additional recommendations, buffers, and mitigation may be necessary depending on a site-specific evaluation.
How this map was used: All of the whooping crane priority stopover landscapes were classified as High Relative Sensitivity and Maximum Mitigation Areas.