Report a Whooping Crane Sighting or Violation

If you are lucky enough to see a whooping crane, please do not approach it, even in a vehicle, to avoid habituating the birds to human activity. If you share the sighting on social media, bird listservs, or other public sites, please do not share location information more specific than county or parish level.

In addition, please report your sighting to help us track the cranes. We appreciate as much information as you are willing or able to provide.

If you see a whooping crane elsewhere in the eastern United States (besides Louisiana), report it to the International Crane Foundation.

If you see a whooping crane in the western United States, please contact the nearest National Wildlife Refuge or report it to LDWF using the Louisiana whooping crane reporting form, and we will pass it along to the appropriate state and federal biologists who monitor that population of cranes.

Note that whooping cranes in the Louisiana population have been known to travel into surrounding states.