 the whooping crane (grus americana), the tallest north american bird, is an endangered crane species named for its whooping sound. in 2003, there were about 153 pairs of whooping cranes. along with the sandhill crane, it is one of only two crane species found in north america. the whooping crane's lifespan is estimated to be 22 to 24 years in the wild. after being pushed to the brink of extinction by unregulated hunting and loss of habitat to just 21 wild and two captive whooping cranes by 1941, conservation efforts have led to a limited recovery. as of 2011, there are an estimated 437 birds in the wild and more than 165 in captivity.whooping crane status and fact sheet, u.s. fish and wildlife service. retrieved on: february 03, 2008 ==description== an adult whooping crane is white with a red crown and a long, dark, pointed bill. immature whooping cranes are cinnamon brown. while in flight, their long necks are kept straight and their long dark legs trail behind. adult whooping cranes' black wing tips are visible during flight. thumb|left|whooping crane in flight the species can stand up to 1.5 meters (5&nbsp;feet) and have a wingspan of 2.3 meters (7.5&nbsp;feet). males weigh on average , while females weigh  on average (erickson, 1976). the body length averages about 132&nbsp;cm (52&nbsp;in).http://www.nebraskabirdlibrary.org/index.php/gruiformes/gruidae/whooping-crane.html the standard linear measurements of the whooping cranes are a wing chord length of {{convert
Birds_of_Canada Birds_of_the_United_States Grus_(genus) IUCN_Red_List_endangered_species