What is the initial, predominant plumage coloration observed on a newly hatched Whooping Crane chick?

Cinnamon brown or rusty-colored

The appearance of a juvenile Whooping Crane contrasts dramatically with the brilliant white of the mature bird. When the chick first hatches, its downy coat is characterized as being cinnamon brown or rusty-colored. This initial plumage is not uniform; it is often mottled, and underneath this rusty layer, the bases of the future white feathers are already beginning to extend. As the bird grows, this brown camouflage gradually gives way to white. By the time the young bird completes its first migration, its plumage is a noticeable mixture of brown and white. It is only as they approach their first spring that the body becomes predominantly white, though residual rusty feathers may persist on areas like the head and upper neck until they reach full adult plumage late in their second summer.