How a ‘blended’ bird family helped sandhill crane chicks thrive in DuPage

When the two crane chicks arrived at the DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center last spring, they had been separated from their parent, who had a badly injured leg.

That parent was “elusive,” center staff said, and difficult to catch. As the days went on, staff said the situation became stressful since it can be tricky to raise the two chicks — known as colts — without a parent around.

“The babies were extremely active and grew like weeds, but keeping baby cranes in care until release is challenging, especially when no adult is present. Both stress and habituation are constant concerns,” the center said in a Facebook post.

Within a week, another injured crane arrived. The team initially hoped it was the chicks’ parent, but the bird’s injuries did not match. Nevertheless, that crane ended up bonding with the young birds and, with some prodding, took them on as a foster parent.

All three cranes were released to the wild — and were spotted earlier this month thriving in their new family.

For the full story, go to chicago.suntimes.com.