Mortality of fledged whooping cranes in the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population
Maintaining accurate mortality records for endangered species is important for guiding management and conservation actions. Mortalities of whooping cranes ( Grus americana ) in the Aransas-Wood Buffalo Population (AWBP) are documented in published records from 1950 through 2010. This paper documents publicly available records of known mortalities from 2011 through 2023, and updates historic records from 1950 to 2010. Public sightings and telemetry carcass records were restricted to fledged whooping cranes from the AWBP and stratified by confirmed, suspected, and unknown causes across the annual range (i.e., summer, migration, and winter). This mortality update provides more certainty associated with available carcass data and reduces discrepancies in existing published information.