With sandhill crane hunting season beginning December 17, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has issued its annual advisory to hunters to watch out for federally protected whooping cranes. The whooping crane is an endangered bird that may not be hunted and their migration from Wisconsin to Florida takes them through west-central Kentucky. Whooping cranes are solid white with black wingtips and have a red crown. They stand up to 5 feet tall and have a 7 ½ foot wingspan. Juvenile birds are similar to the adults, but with brown or tan mixed in. Whooping cranes may associate with sandhill cranes, which are smaller and have gray bodies, so caution is advised.