Whoopers are all white with black wingtips, visible only in flight. They fly with neck and long legs extended. White pelicans are also white with black wingtips, and a pelican's short legs don't extend beyond the tail, a feature sometimes difficult to see. Pelicans often migrate in flocks of 20 or more. Snow geese are also white with black wingtips, but they are smaller than whoopers, and their short legs don't extend beyond their tail during flights.
Snow geese usually travel in large flocks.
Whooping cranes migrate during the day, usually in small groups of three to seven birds, unlike the large flocks of gray sandhill cranes that also travel through South Dakota. But unless you're an experienced birder, identifying birds in flight is difficult. A day's flight may end in mid afternoon or later, when whoopers feed and rest before roosting for the night. Reliable sightings help state and federal agencies protect this endangered species from potentially hazardous situations. South Dakota's waters become cold during the fall, and State Game, Fish and Parks officials warn hunters and winter anglers that half of all drowning deaths are caused by hypothermia-abnormally low body temperature.