Greater Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido)

Status: State Threatened (1979)

Occurrence: Locally uncommon resident central and northwest. Groups may be found in Adams, Portage, Wood, and Marathon counties. Individual birds have been sighted in Clark and Taylor counties. A map outlining Pre-1977 and 1997 to Present Distribution is available.

Aid to ID: Slightly larger than the sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus); plumage is olive-brown to pale clove brown with cross-bars of buffy brown and white on back, wings, breast, belly, and tail. Tail is short and rounded. Males have long tufts of feathers and orange, scarlet-edged, esophageal "air sacs" on the sides of their neck.

Habitat: Prefer prairie-openings interspersed among oak woodland and oak savanna. Dense grassland is necessary for roosting, loafing, and nesting. Good habitat may include some shrubbery, aspen and birch for budding, weeds, berries, cultivated grains, and oaks. Leks (concentrated courtship and breeding sites) are generally located in areas accessible to numerous females, often on small rises or knolls prominently exposed by flat surrounding topography and/or lack of vegetation.

Food Habits:

Breeding Season--Leaves, seeds, buds, fruits, and insects. Insects are particularly important for juveniles.
Winter--Leaves and seeds from a variety of plant species and cultivated grains. Of the latter, they prefer corn and buckwheat to wheat, oats, barley, and rye.

Natural History:

Breeding: Clutch size: usually 10-12 olive eggs spotted with dark brown; laid from late April to early July. Incubation: 23-24 days. Young fledge in 7-14 days.
Nest: Eggs laid in a hollow in the ground lined with grasses. Well hidden among grasses or other ground vegetation.

Management Considerations: Market hunting and poaching historically led to significant population declines. Currently, predation on eggs and birds is the primary cause of mortality. Human-related factors include general disturbance, livestock, farm machinery, moving vehicles, electric wires, fences, pesticides, and fire. The use of pesticides may reduce insect availability during the breeding season, particularly for chicks. Predator control, pheasant removal, and creating artificial sources of food and water have little effect on increasing and stabilizing prairie-chicken populations. The most effective strategies have been directed toward habitat improvement including manipulation of grazing pressure, control of burning, providing dense vegetation for protective cover, and establishment of preserves. To increase the population's distribution, the reintroduction of birds into formerly occupied territory may be necessary, however few transplants have been successful.

Greater Prairie Chicken graphic made available from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Web Site.

Information compiled from publication ER-091.