Whooping Crane Survey Results: Winter 2014–2015 308 Wild Whooping Cranes Estimated.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed aerial surveys of the primary survey area centered on Aransas National Wildlife Refuge to estimate the abundance of whooping cranes in the Aransas-Wood Buffalo population. Preliminary analyses of the survey data indicated 308 whooping cranes (95% CI = 267–350; CV = 0.067) inhabited the primary survey area (Figure 1). This estimate included 39 juveniles (95% CI = 33–46; CV = 0.081) and 112 adult pairs (95% CI = 99–128; CV = 0.064). Recruitment of juveniles into the winter flock was 15 chicks (95% CI = 13–16; CV = 0.055) per 100 adults, which is comparable to long-term average recruitment. The precision of this year’s estimates was improved and achieved the target set in the whooping crane inventory and monitoring protocol (i.e., CV < 0.10). click on the link to see full report: http://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/WHCR%20Update%20Winter%202014-2015.pdf
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