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Introduction

Fall in Texas, especially along the Gulf Coast, is not so much heralded by crisper air or changing leaves as it is by the arrival of millions of migratory birds, most of which are only stopping over briefly on their way to even warmer climes in Mexico and beyond. The largest and most magnificent of these nomadic species does not pass through but spends the winter season, as do many human “snow birds,” in their favored and unique location on the Texas coast. I am, of course, referring to the whooping crane (Grus americana).

The object of this paper is to discuss the role Texans must play for the survival of the whooping crane. We will focus primarily on the wild, free living, nonexperimental and growing Wood Buffalo-Aransas National Wildlife Refuge whooping crane population, and the importance of the Guadalupe-San Antonio River system to the survival of this endangered species during its stay in the wintering grounds in Texas.

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