FIRE EFFECTS AND USE
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Grus americana | Whooping Crane 



DIRECT FIRE EFFECTS ON ANIMALS : 
Fire could destroy whooping crane nests.  Additionally, molting adults
and flightless chicks are vulnerable to fire due to their reduced
mobility.  Although fire has burned portions of the nesting area in the
past, loss of eggs, chicks, or adults has not been documented [10].


HABITAT RELATED FIRE EFFECTS : 
On the whooping cranes' upland wintering grounds, fires burn off dead
grasses, making acorns very easy to obtain.  Fires on the cranes'
nesting grounds are generally caused by lightning during drought
conditions.  These fires could destroy vegetation, making eggs and
chicks more susceptible to predation [10].


FIRE USE : 
Whooping cranes are attracted to burned uplands on their wintering
grounds.  Here, low-severity prescribed fires can be used to burn off
dead grasses around stands of oak (Quercus spp.) brush [1,10].  When
burning areas for the benefit of whooping cranes, plots should be burned
in late winter when food supply is low.  During an emergency, such as an
oil spill on their wintering grounds, fires can be used to attract
whooping cranes away from contaminated areas.  On the whooping cranes'
breeding grounds, fire is suppressed because of its threat to chicks and
molting adults [10].


REFERENCES : 
NO-ENTRY

Related categories for Wildlife Species: Grus americana | Whooping Crane