BATON ROUGE — Louisiana's whooping crane program had its most successful nesting season yet with a record 10 chicks fledged in 2026.

According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the whooping crane is one of the rarest birds on Earth and the rarest of the world's 15 crane species. It was one of the first species listed under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1973. 

The 10 fledglings — which are birds that have developed the feathers and muscles needed to fly — in 2026 are the most for any whooping crane reintroduction program ever, according to LDWF.

The program also had a total of 18 nesting pairs successfully hatch eggs this season, bringing the state's total population up to 84, just under half of which were wild-hatched in Louisiana. The state project, which began in 2011, hatched its first wild chick in 2016, the first in more than 75 years. 

"Having 18 of the 20 pairs that nested hatch chicks is the highest percentage we’ve ever had to do that," LDWF Biologist Sara Zimorski said. "For that many to successfully incubate and hatch at least one chick was wonderful to see."

One Louisiana whooping crane pair nested in 2025, LDWF said, but did not hatch a chick. In 2026, the pair successfully fledged a chick. 

Another one of this year's 10 fledglings was born from two whooping cranes wild-hatched in Louisiana, which LDWF called a significant accomplishment. 

Whooping cranes are tall, white birds with red and black heads and black-tipped wings. They are typically around five feet tall with a seven-to-eight-foot wingspan. 

LDWF said anyone who encounters a whooping crane in the wild should keep a safe distance and report the sighting on the department's reporting page, which helps scientists track the state population. The department also asks those who spot a whooping crane not to share its location any more specifically than on the parish level.