Page 386 - Hand rearing birds second

378 Hand-Rearing Birds

The young vocalize a soft purring sound, almost constantly, to maintain contact with the adult as
they walk. Adult cranes feed the young by killing prey such as crustaceans, frogs, snakes, or mice,
and thrashing it to bits for the youngster. They also teach chicks to secure their own food by turn-
ing over mud or soil in upland areas to expose insects or aquatic invertebrates. Crane colts are
naturally attracted to movement and shiny objects and learn to feed themselves quickly.
Cranes in the wild eat a wide variety of plant material plus insects, aquatic invertebrates, frogs,
small animals, and even small birds if the opportunity presents itself. Hence, do not house them
with song-birds or young ducklings. Although plant material is ingested in small amounts, most of
the diet in the first 6–8 weeks of life consists of insects, invertebrates, and larger vertebrates that
have been killed and ripped apart by the adults.

Captive-breeding Facilities

Husbandry of captive and breeding cranes has been researched extensively by scientists at Patuxent
Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Maryland, and The International Crane Foundation in
Baraboo, Wisconsin. Through these excellent sources, wildlife rehabilitators have access to a wide
variety of information on the various aspects of captive crane care. One of the best reference books
and a must for every rehabilitator considering cranes is Cranes: Their Biology, Husbandry and
Conservation by David Ellis, George Gee, and Claire Mirande (Ellis et al. 1996).
Although information on long-term captive care of cranes is excellent, it must be kept in mind
that the rehabilitation of cranes will have a different approach when compared to permanent cap-
tive and breeding care. Those differences focus on preparing for life in the wild in the case of a colt,
and for return to the wild in that of an adult. The captive care of birds in rehabilitation is a short
period, rather than their entire life. Some of those differences will be discussed in this chapter.

­ Criteria­for Intervention

Cranes’ large size, interesting behavior, and considerable folklore draw the interest of the public
when nest sites are close to human activity.

Adults
Most calls received by wildlife centers concerning adult cranes will be those hit by cars, shot, trapped,
accidentally poisoned from overspray or runoff in agricultural areas, or contact with other poisons
placed for animals in depredation situations. Large die-offs of cranes have been reported due to
mycotoxins. These are produced by fungi that grow on crops that have been left unharvested. Crane
species may be hypersensitive to mycotoxins (Ellis et al. 1996; Altman et al. 1997). Lead poisoning
and ingestion of items such as screws or staples can also occur. For this reason, the crane patient with
digestive problems should be x-rayed to determine whether ingested material is the source. Gruidae
as a family tend to be temperature-hardy. However, individuals exposed to extreme cold without
protection may suffer frostbite to the toes. Patients with frostbite are usually birds that have been
unable to migrate for some reason and are forced to remain in extreme winter temperatures.

Colts
Very young crane colts are often hypothermic when found. Colts hatched during very cold tem-
peratures have a poor chance of survival. Although able to thermoregulate to some degree,
circumstances require youngsters to follow their parent through wet, marshy habitat soon after