A flock of whooping cranes that has spent the past six weeks in northwest Alabama are looking for a new home.

The assisted migration of the rare birds has ended after bad weather, a government investigation and the reluctance of the young cranes to continue flying south. The the journey that was scheduled to end in Florida has been on hold since early December.

"The Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership is meeting this week in Wisconsin. A decision will be made at the meeting about where we will go from here with the cranes," said Liz Condie, CEO and co-founder of Operation Migration, the group that was leading the birds from Wisconsin to Florida.

The partnership includes Operation Migration, the Fish and Wildlife Service and seven other agencies and organizations working to restore the whooping crane population.

Among the options likely to be discussed include hauling the nine birds to Florida in crates where they would be released at two wildlife refuges. Another is to release the cranes at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge in Decatur.

"We're really not sure what all the options are that will be discussed at the meeting," Condie said. "All the options that have been considered so far have pros and cons. There could be some new options develop before a decision is made on Wednesday or Thursday."