LDWF whooping crane population adds record 10 fledged chicks during 2026 nesting season

By News Staff on Thursday, July 30, 2026
  • Whooping crane pair watch over chicks in nest. (Photo courtesy of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries)
    Whooping crane pair watch over chicks in nest. (Photo courtesy of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries)

    By: TREY ILES LDWF Louisiana’s whooping crane nesting season was bountiful as a total of 10 chicks fledged this year. It was a record-setting spring with the 10 fledged chicks, the most ever in the state’s experimental whooping crane reintroduction project, which was initiated by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) in 2011. The 10 fledged chicks surpasses the record of e…