The first whooping crane hatched at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin, has died.
Named Gee Whiz, it died Feb. 24 of natural causes at the age of 38 years and nine months.
The average life expectancy of a whooping crane — birds that are still working their way back from the brink of extinction — is about 25 years. The oldest crane in captivity died at 46, according to the foundation.
Gee Whiz was conceived through artificial insemination using semen from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland. It was named after George Gee, who worked at Patuxent and collected the semen.
Gee Whiz sired 178 cranes and was known for its nasty disposition. A fiercely territorial bird, workers dreaded handling Gee Whiz because it would peck their ankles and fingers.
Foundation spokeswoman Pamela Seelman described Gee Whiz as “spirited and tenacious.”
The whooping crane population has grown from fewer than 20 birds in the mid-1940s to nearly 850 birds today, according to the foundation.
