Start Over Back More Crane Stories Photo Operation Migration Footrace or Flight? If you were the pilot, this is what you’d see from the cockpit. The young cranes get excited when the ultralight plane taxies past. They run and flap along, trying to keep up. It is part of learning to fly. They do this every day if the weather is calm. Older chicks are called colts. Find the black primary feathers on one colt’s wingtips. These outer feathers are strong and long enough to catch air and do the hardest work in flying. Soon these colts must be ready for their 1200-mile migration!