Whooping cranes will be passing over central Kansas as they leave their breeding grounds to migrate south from Canada to Texas.

A few dozen of the rare birds are sighted each year in or near the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. The massive cranes use Quivira’s open salt flats and wetlands to roost during their visits, but each group typically doesn’t stay more than a day or two, with many just stopping overnight.

Barry Jones of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says group size averages from two to five birds. The best chance to find the birds at Quivira is at either dusk or dawn.

The whooping crane is the tallest bird species in North America, standing nearly 5 feet tall.

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Associated Press information from: The Hutchinson News