Whoopers fly with a slow wingbeat, straight neck, and legs trailing out beyond their tail. Two legally hunted wildlife species, sandhill cranes and snow geese, are similar in appearance to whooping cranes. The sandhill crane is gray and smaller with a wingspan of 5 feet, but sometimes appear whitish in bright light. Sandhill cranes occur in flocks of 2 to hundreds. Snow geese generally occur in large flocks, are much smaller than whooping cranes, and fly with a rapid wingbeat.
White pelicans fly with their neck folded and can be distinguished by their large yellow bill.
Herons and egrets also fly with their long necks folded. Our fascination with whoopers partially results from their loud vocalizations and elaborate courtship rituals which help strengthen pair bonds. Courtship behavior consists of calling, wing flapping, head bowing, and tremendous leaps into the air by both birds. These dances begin in late winter as a prelude to mating, but may occur at other times as whoopers defend their territories or play. Whooping cranes mate for life but will re-mate following the death of a mate.