Data from: Age and habitat characteristics at the nest influence Whooping Crane chick movement

The reintroduced Eastern Migratory Population of Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) is not yet self-sustaining, and the pre-fledge period represents the highest risk of chick mortality. However, little is known about their movements during this vulnerable time. We analyzed observations of 103 wild-hatched chicks collected between 2006 to 2025 to evaluate factors influencing movement from the nest. The average maximum distance chicks were observed from the nest was 1086.9 ± 827.0 m (range: 0 – 4302 m). We assessed movement and habitat use using linear mixed-effects models, then compared candidate models using AICc, and generated predictions using model averaging of the top models. Chick age was the strongest predictor of movement; as chicks aged from 7 to 60 days, movement increased by 202.0%. Distance from the nest increased rapidly at younger ages and more gradually at older ages. Chick movement increased 28.8% per 1.95-km increase in distance from the nest to agriculture but decreased 19.7% per 147-m increase in distance to forest. Additionally, nest sites were significantly closer to forests and post-hatch use sites were significantly closer to agriculture, reflecting shifts in Whooping Crane habitat use during chick-rearing, which can guide habitat management aimed at improving recruitment.