Some stopovers last only one night, others up to four weeks. Whooping cranes migrate as individuals, pairs, family groups or small flocks of up to 11 birds. Whooping cranes may live up to 24 years in the wild. Captive birds can live 35 to 40 years. Reproduction Whooping cranes mate for life but will accept a new mate if one of the pair dies.
Birds reach sexual maturity in three to five years.
Courtship displays, involving dancing, begin in early spring on the wintering grounds. On the nesting ground, adults carry out an elaborate courtship display, bobbing, weaving, jumping and calling with their mates. Breeding pairs show considerable fidelity to their breeding territories, returning to the same nesting area each year. Individual nests are often used for three or four years. Whooping cranes may renest if their first clutch is destroyed or lost before mid-incubation.