The Greater Prairie Chicken
Also called the:
Pinnated grouse; Prairie Grouse or Prairie Hen
The Lesser Prairie Chicken
• Current Population
about 20,000 total
• Range is the southern
Great Plains:
– Southern Colorado,
– western Kansas,
– Oklahoma,
– New Mexico
– Texas
• Notice the beautiful rose
neck sacs.
The Attwater’s Prairie Chicken
• Closer to complete
extinction than any
other bird in the US
(unless Ivory Billed
Woodpeckers still
exist).
• Only found in Texas
• Slightly smaller and
darker than the Greater
Prairie Chicken
The Attwater’s Prairie Chicken
1900 - 1 million
1971 - 2,200
1993 - 60
2007 - 44 total
in the wild
+150 birds in captivity, but after several generations in
captivity they can’t survive in the wild.
The
Heath
Hen
Some believe the
bird is was our first
Thanksgiving Dinner
Painted by Rex Brasher in the early 1900’s
Early legislation eliminated spring and summer market
hunting. What year was this legislation passed?
The Heath Hen
• Legislation to
preserve Heath
Hen populations
was passed in
1791, by the State
of New York.
• The Heath Hen
became extinct in
1932
• Painting by Audubon
The Society of Tympanuchus Cupido Pinnatus
(the Latin name of the Greater Prairie Chicken)
• Formed in 1960 to
save the Greater
Prairie Chicken
from extinction
• $1,500,000 study
captured 4,601
birds 1996-2003,
many studied with
radio telemetry
• Bird with radio transmitter
The Greater Prairie ChickenTotal population about 690,000 2006-2007, mostly in western states
Linneaus gave the Latin name
Cupido because the pinnae
reminded him of cupid’s wings.
Genus Name Tympanuchus
The air sacs are called
tympani.
• tym·pa·ni - a set of
kettledrums (Latin)
The ‘drummer of love’
The courtship display area is called
a Booming Grounds or Lek
• Groups of Males return annually to the
same lek, which can be used for decades
Booming grounds must be treeless.
A northern harrier is a
common predator of the
Greater Prairie Chicken
The Prairie Chicken Dance
1913 photo of the
Chicken Dance Society
Nesting
• Shallow
depression in
tall grass
• 10-12 eggs
• Hen takes
chicks to food
just hours
after hatching
• Females alone incubate &
care for young
Chicks
Food Sources
• Insects – especially grasshoppers
• Fruits, leaves, flowers, shoots, seeds,
grain, weed seeds and rose hips
• Winter food sources: corn, soybeans,
acorns, oats, wheat, rye & sorghum
Cutting forests
increased range
Presettlement
Kansas, S. Dakota, Nebraska & Oklahoma have
hunting seasons for Greater Prairie Chicken
Illinois Prairie Ridge Natural Area
• 1992 - 40 prairie
chickens
• 2007 - 220 total prairie
chickens
• This map shows the
approximate
locations of prairie
chickens.
• Due to survey data
from 2008, it is
believed that there
are about 900
prairie chickens in
Wisconsin.
Winter Survival
• Winter Survival rates
have been found to be as
low as 33% and in direct
relationship to the
available corn
• Prairie chickens prefer
soybeans – but may
assimilate only ½ of the
energy from soybeans
that they would from corn.
• Prairie chickens may not
be able to reach the ears
on newer varieties of corn
Loss of Genetic Variability
makes the population weaker.
• In-breeding becomes a problem for
isolated pockets which don’t migrate
• 1-2 males on each lek are responsible for
80% of the mating
• As the range decreases, there are fewer
leks with more males per lek and,
therefore, an even lower percentage of
males breeding
Pheasants-an exotic species
Nest Parasitism – a hen Pheasant
will lay eggs in a Prairie Chicken
nest
Pheasant eggs hatch in 23 days
rather than 25 days for prairie
chickens
When the pheasant eggs hatch, the
prairie chicken hen leaves the
nest with the pheasant chicks and
prairie chicken eggs die.
Pheasants also out compete prairie
chickens for food and disturb
booming grounds.
Maintaining Grasslands Habitat
• Prairie chicken hens don’t nest in areas
which have been burned within the past
• Rural housing reduces open space
• The CRP program pays farmers to leave
marginal land fallow; as the price of grain
increases – some acres may come out of
this program
Drs. Fred & Fran Hamerstrom
• Extensive Prairie
Chicken research
• The reason that
Prairie Chickens
still exist in
Wisconsin
• Students of Aldo
Leopold
You can enjoy this amazing experience from
Private Blinds – located on the booming grounds.
Blinds are located on the Milk Crystal
Dairy, the Flaig family farm, in central
Wisconsin.
By viewing prairie chickens from their
blinds, you are supporting their
commitment to farming in harmony
with nature so they can be a shining
example for other farmers.
In addition, visit nearby Mead Wildlife Area
for more birding opportunities.
CENTRAL WISCONSIN
PRAIRIE CHICKEN FESTIVAL
"A Celebration of Grasslands“
April 17-19, 2009 Earth Day Weekend
For details:
(715) 343-6215
Or google Prairie Chicken Festival
http://www.prairiechickenfestival.org
Prairie Chicken Viewing is a memorable experience!
• Reserve a space for April to mid – May
Carl Flaig (715) 570-0782
stargazing@tznet.com or
www.prairiechickenviewing.com
• Carl will escort you to your blind just a few hundred feet from the road,
• There are early morning and late afternoon viewing opportunities.