In 1941, less than 20 whooping cranes existed in North America
The whooping crane, from North America, was highly hunted in the 1800s and suffered from habitat loss. A 1941 count found only 16 of the birds were still alive, according to National Geographic.
Conservation efforts, including captive breeding programs, have helped bring the number of whooping cranes back up. They are listed as endangered and according to the Red List, the population is increasing and the estimation of mature individual birds is between 50-249.
