Greater Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido)

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Image of a Greater Prairie Chicken in its natural habitat
Birds Chicken

Introduction

The Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) is a large North American grouse associated with native prairie. It is best known for the communal spring displays of males, which gather on traditional leks, or booming grounds, to attract females. The species has declined substantially as grasslands have been converted, fragmented or degraded, although conservation programmes continue to protect and restore important prairie habitat. (allaboutbirds.org)

Physical Description

The Greater Prairie-Chicken is a chunky, crow-sized game bird with a small head, rounded wings, short legs and a relatively short tail. Adults are about 43 centimetres long, with a wingspan of approximately 69.5–72.5 centimetres and a typical weight of about 904–1,024 grams. Plumage is mottled and barred in brown, rufous, black and white, providing effective camouflage in grassland. (allaboutbirds.org)

Males and females are broadly similar outside the breeding season, although males have more conspicuous ornamental features. During courtship, a male raises elongated neck feathers, extends orange eye combs and inflates orange air sacs on the sides of the neck. These air sacs help produce the species’ characteristic low booming calls. Females are generally less conspicuous, with a darker eyeline and a paler throat. Young birds resemble adults but are less boldly marked and lack the full display features of mature males. (allaboutbirds.org)

The species includes geographically distinct forms. The Great Plains form, often treated as the subspecies Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus, is larger than the Attwater’s Prairie-Chicken, Tympanuchus cupido attwateri. The Heath Hen, Tympanuchus cupido cupido, formerly occurred in the north-eastern United States but became extinct in 1932. (allaboutbirds.org)

Range and Habitat

Historically, the Greater Prairie-Chicken occupied a much larger area of central and eastern North America, including extensive grasslands from the southern Great Plains northwards towards Canada and eastwards into the Midwest and north-eastern United States. Its present distribution is more fragmented and is concentrated in remaining areas of suitable prairie, particularly in parts of Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Oklahoma and Colorado. The species has disappeared from much of its former range, and the Attwater’s form survives only in small areas of coastal Texas. (pubs.usgs.gov)

The species is primarily associated with tallgrass and mixed-grass prairie, often in landscapes containing scattered brush, occasional oak woodland, cropland and other open habitats. Nesting females require reasonably dense grass and low cover, while broods benefit from more open areas with abundant insects. Males select open, relatively elevated and often flat sites for leks, where they can display and detect approaching predators. Brushy vegetation is also important for shelter and winter roosting. (allaboutbirds.org)

Greater Prairie-Chickens are not long-distance migrants. They usually remain within the broader prairie landscape throughout the year, but may fly several kilometres between feeding, roosting and breeding areas. Winter movements can increase where food or cover is limited. (allaboutbirds.org)

Behaviour and Diet

Greater Prairie-Chickens forage mainly on the ground, walking slowly through grassland and brush while taking seeds, leaves, buds, fruits, acorns, cultivated grains and insects. Grasshoppers, crickets and beetles are important foods, particularly for growing chicks, which depend heavily on insects during their early development. Adults may climb into vegetation or low trees to feed on buds and leaves when ground food is difficult to reach. (allaboutbirds.org)

In early spring, males gather at traditional leks. Each male defends a small display area and performs a sequence of foot-stamping, wing-shaking, tail movements, raised neck feathers and inflated throat air sacs. The resulting booming calls can be heard across the prairie. Males may also chase, leap at and strike one another, although much of the conflict is ritualised. Females visit the lek, assess the displaying males and usually mate with only a small proportion of them. Males provide no parental care and do not form lasting pair bonds. (allaboutbirds.org)

Females build a shallow, bowl-shaped nest on the ground, usually in grassland with cover roughly 25–71 centimetres high. A typical clutch contains 5–17 eggs, and incubation lasts about 23–25 days. Chicks are down-covered and able to follow the female soon after hatching. After the breeding season, birds may gather in autumn and winter flocks. (allaboutbirds.org)

Identification Tips

Look for a heavily barred, brown-and-white grouse with a compact body, small head, short tail and rounded wings. In flight, the bird appears powerful and broad-winged, but it generally flies low and directly between grassland areas.

Breeding males are especially distinctive. At a lek, they raise dark neck feathers, expose orange throat air sacs, extend orange eye combs, stamp their feet and produce deep booming calls. These displays are usually more reliable for identification than plumage alone.

The Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is a genuine potential confusion species. It is generally smaller and paler, with different barring and a more southerly and western distribution. Sharp-tailed Grouse may also occur in overlapping grassland regions, but its pointed tail and different display behaviour help separate it from the Greater Prairie-Chicken. (allaboutbirds.org)

Conservation Status

The Greater Prairie-Chicken is assessed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, rather than Vulnerable. Its overall condition reflects a substantial historical decline and continuing pressure on suitable grassland, although the species remains more widespread than its most imperilled subspecies. (nature.org)

The main threats are conversion of native prairie to cropland or other land uses, fragmentation, woody vegetation encroachment, degradation of nesting and brood-rearing cover, disturbance from infrastructure and some forms of agricultural and grazing management. In parts of the range, hunting and competition with introduced Ring-necked Pheasants may also affect populations. Climate-related changes to weather, vegetation and food availability may add further pressure, but their effects vary between regions. (allaboutbirds.org)

Conservation measures include protecting large, connected prairie landscapes, restoring native grasslands, maintaining suitable nesting and brood-rearing cover, managing woody encroachment and improving habitat on private land. The United States Conservation Reserve Program has provided grassland habitat in some parts of the species’ range. Land acquisition, voluntary agreements with landholders and monitoring of leks also contribute to conservation. The Attwater’s Prairie-Chicken, a subspecies of the Greater Prairie-Chicken, is separately listed as Endangered under United States federal law and is the focus of intensive habitat management and recovery work in coastal Texas. (pubs.usgs.gov)

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does the Greater Prairie-Chicken live?

It lives mainly in remaining tallgrass and mixed-grass prairies of the central United States, especially in parts of the Great Plains and Midwest. Its former range was much larger and more continuous.

What does a Greater Prairie-Chicken eat?

Adults eat a mixture of leaves, seeds, buds, fruits, acorns, grains and insects. Chicks eat mostly insects during their early growth.

Why do male Greater Prairie-Chickens boom?

Males boom as part of their courtship display. They gather on communal leks, inflate orange neck air sacs and perform visual displays to attract females and compete with rival males.

Are Greater Prairie-Chickens migratory?

They are not long-distance migrants. Individuals generally remain within the wider prairie landscape but may move between feeding, nesting, roosting and lek sites.

What is the difference between a Greater Prairie-Chicken and a Lesser Prairie-Chicken?

The Greater Prairie-Chicken is generally larger and darker, with stronger barring. The Lesser Prairie-Chicken is smaller and paler and occurs mainly in the southern and western Great Plains.

Is the Greater Prairie-Chicken endangered?

The species as a whole is assessed as Near Threatened globally. Its Attwater’s subspecies is much more severely threatened and is listed as Endangered under United States federal law.

References

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