The whooping crane has been in serious trouble for a long, long time. The situation is so dire that several groups of people, including the Whooping Crane Eastern Parntership, have taken to hand raising them and teaching them to migrate by leading them with ultralight aircraft. Yes… you read that right. These folks fly ultralight airplanes to teach the birds how to migrate.
Guess what: it worked. First Wild Whooping Crane Chicks Hatch in the Midwest in 100 Years.