What adaptations does the whooping crane have that helps it survive in its environment?

One of the interesting adaptations common to most wading waterfowl is the counter-current heat exchanger in the blood vessels of the legs. Warm blood from the heart are pumped down through arteries which lay very close to the veins containing cold blood coming up from the feet. As the warm blood goes down the leg, it warms the cold blood coming up, and cools the blood. By the time the blood gets into the feet, it's already pretty cold, so not much of the animal's heat is lost to the cold water. By the time that the "cold" blood reaches the body again, it's already been warmed enough so as not to cause a shock to the system.