Join ICF’s crane behavior workshop for families, where Anne Lacy leads an engaging exploration of crane biology and conservation

Once you see your first crane, watching their behavior raises many questions. These might range from how they interact with each other and with other species, to why and when they are territorial, to how they respond to changes in their environment. Cranes are ideal subjects for behavior studies because of their large size and their social nature within a bonded pair, family group, and subadult cohorts. While scientific studies often customize the various categories, one can begin with the basic five: foraging, alert, social, comfort, and locomotion. In this workshop, International Crane Foundation staff will begin with an introduction of the behavior terms, crane morphology, and life history stages; then progress into guiding smaller groups in interpreting crane behavior using interactive videos of a family of cranes. You will emerge from this experience ready to make your own observations, understanding when a crane is performing behaviors essential to their well-being, and knowledge of how to safely view cranes without disturbing them.