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Greater Prairie Chicken
Photograph by
Joel Sartore
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Bringing a splash of flash to its subdued surroundings, the greater prairie chicken is most at home when obscured by open sweeps of tall grass. Odds have been stacked against the bird for a long time; poachers and market hunters significantly decreased its populations in the 1800s. Today predators pick off chickens as well as eggs, and many birds are destroyed by livestock, farm machinery, electric wires, pesticides, and fires. Failure to stabilize prairie chicken populations keeps conservationists pecking around for solutions to improve habitat, such as controlling burns, providing dense vegetation for protective cover, and establishing reserves.
Click here for a greater prairie chicken multimedia show, courtesy Grunko Films.
RealPlayer Windows Media
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Scientific name:
Tympanuchus cupido
Family:
Phasianidae
Group/Class:
Bird
Historic range:
prairie states including Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, Illinois, and Wisconsin
Current status:
not endangered (state-listed in Illinois)
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Population to which status applies:
entire range, except Illinois
Current range:
prairie states including Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, Illinois, and Wisconsin
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