Journey North Crane

"Report Cards" for Cranes in Training

Photo OM

In August, before most of us are even back in school, the WCEP birds are already getting report cards! They don't get graded on their reading or math skills. But like us, they do get graded on the important skills they'll need to face some of their big challenges in life. Of course, the crane team doesn't call these crane report cards. They call them "cohort data sheets." What kinds of grades do the cranes get? What "subjects" do they get marked in? What does a crane "report card" look like?

Grading System
Like our "A-B-C-D-F" system, cranes can get 5 grades:

5	Very positive	Crane is attentive, follows handler/ aircraft closely, easily moved into pen.
4	Positive	Crane follows handler/ aircraft from a distance, can be led into pen.
3	Neutral	Crane tentatively follows handler, will approach aircraft once it has stopped moving.
2	Negative	Crane shows no anxiety but ignores or will not follow handler/ aircraft, difficult to move into pen, leaves handler to forage in wetland.
1	Very negative	Crane displays anxiety or fear, will not approach handler/ aircraft, must be forced in or out of pen.

Subjects and Tasks
Cranes get "graded" in two subjects:

Attention to handler
Attention to aircraft

The WCEP report card also has some other special categories. As the baby cranes learn to fly, researchers need to keep track of how they're doing in a precise way. So they record the baby cranes' progress at taking off and flying. The cranes get marks for these time and distance tasks:

Run/flap distance (how far the crane must run and flap before getting up in the air)
Flight duration with aircraft (how many minutes the crane can fly with the Ultralight before tiring)
Flight duration without aircraft (when cranes are observed flying on their own, the researchers record how many minutes they stay up)

Crane "report cards" also include:

What position each crane holds in the hierarchy with its cohorts
What alliances it has with other cranes -- that is, which cranes it spends the most time with
whether it has foraged in a wetland with its handler
whether it has foraged in a wetland on its own

On the back of a Whooping Crane report card, the researchers also write notes about any medication or treatments that the cranes receive. They note when the birds get treats, where they roost, and so on.


Click on the report cards above to see a much closer view! Report cards courtesy OM

Try this! Discussion and Journaling

If you were keeping data on the WCEP cranes, what information would you want to record? There are many different things the scientists could record, such as exactly how many items of natural food each crane is eating, what times the cranes preen, sleep, feed, and bathe, what vocalizations each crane makes, etc. Why do you think the crane data sheet doesn't include all these things?
If you were to keep a data sheet about one of your own or a friend's pet, what data would you record?

National Science Education Standards

Science investigations involve asking and answering a question and comparing that to what scientists already know about the world.
Scientists use different kinds of investigations depending on the questions they are trying to answer.
Scientists develop explanations using observations (evidence) and what they already know about the world.

Journey North is pleased to feature this educational adventure made possible by the
Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership (WCEP).