| Greater prairie-chicken | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Male displaying inIllinois, USA | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Genus: | Tympanuchus |
| Species: | T. cupido |
| Binomial name | |
| Tympanuchus cupido | |
| Subspecies | |
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| Distribution map of the greater prairie-chicken. Pale and dark green: pre-settlement Dark green: current year-round | |
| Synonyms | |
Tetrao cupidoLinnaeus, 1758 | |
Thegreater prairie-chicken orpinnated grouse (Tympanuchus cupido), sometimes called aboomer,[2] is a largebird in thegrousefamily. ThisNorth Americanspecies was once abundant but has become extremely rare orextirpated over much of its range due tohabitat loss, natural disasters, and overhunting.[2][3]Conservation measures are underway to ensure the sustainability of existing small populations. One of the most famous aspects of these creatures is themating ritual called booming.
Carl Linnaeus based his account on the "Le Cocq de bois d'Amerique" that had been described and illustrated by the English naturalistMark Catesby in his bookThe Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands. Catesby had seen greater prairie-chickens in 1743 at the home of theEarl of Wilmington in the then village ofChiswick, 7 mi (11 km) west of London. The Earl believed that that his birds had come from North America but did not know from where.[4] Linnaeus specified thetype locality asVirginia but this has been changed toPennsylvania by theAmerican Ornithologists' Union.[5]
The greater prairie-chicken wasformally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalistCarl Linnaeus in thetenth edition of hisSystema Naturae under thebinomial nameTetrao cupido.[6][7] Linnaeus based his account on the "Le Cocq de bois d'Amerique" that had been described and illustrated by the English naturalistMark Catesby in his bookThe Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands. Catesby had seen greater prairie-chickens in 1743 at the home of theEarl of Wilmington in the then village ofChiswick, 7 mi (11 km) west of London. The Earl believed that that his birds had come from North America but did not know from where.[8] Linnaeus specified thetype locality asVirginia but this has been changed toPennsylvania by theAmerican Ornithologists' Union.[9] The specific epithetcupido was chosen as the erectile neck feathers were thought to resemble the wings ofCupid.[10] The greater prairie-chicken is now placed together with thesharp-tailed grouse and thelesser prairie-chicken in the genusTympanuchus that was introduced in 1841 by the German zoologistConstantin Gloger.[11]
Threesubspecies are recognised:[11][12]
| Subspecies | Range | Image | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| †Heath hen (Tympanuchus cupido cupido)[a] | FormerlyEast Coast of the United States andMartha's Vineyard |  | EX (1932) |
| Attwater's prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri) | CostalTexas and formerlyLouisiana |  | CR[b] |
| Greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) | Central North America and Southern Canada | _(20351644665).jpg) | NT |
Adults of both sexes are medium to large chicken-like birds, stocky with round wings. They have short tails which are typically rounded. Adult males have orange comb-like feathers over their eyes and dark, elongated head feathers that can be raised or lain along neck. They also possess a circular, un-feathered neck patch which can be inflated while displaying; this, like their comb feathers, is also orange. As with many other bird species, the adult females have shorter head feathers and also lack the male's yellow comb and orange neck patch. Adults are about 43 cm (17 in) long, and weigh between 700–1,200 g (25–42 oz).[13] The greater prairie-chicken has a wingspan range of 69.5–72.5 cm (27.4–28.5 in).[14]
The greater prairie-chicken prefers undisturbedprairie and was originally found intallgrass prairies. It can tolerate agricultural land mixed with prairie, but sparser population density is found in areas that are more agricultural. Its diet consists primarily of seeds andfruit, but during the summer it also eats green plants andinsects such as grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles.[15] This species was once widespread all across theoak savanna and tall grass prairieecosystem.
A steamboat captain recalled seeing great flocks of prairie chickens atBird's Point in 1840, writing "Then we gazed in wonderment, but very soon our eyes were drawn to something more attractive which caused us to forget the great river. The whole banks or sandbars on either river were a mass of quail or partridges. I have never in my life seen such a grand sight. They had come from the prairies to the river, but unable to fly across either stream there they were by the millions running up and down each river until they had made paths and roads. We killed a great many with sticks and clubs and took them to the boat. We met Dick Bird, the man this point took its name from, and he said we could look for a cold winter, as the quails and prairie chickens were leaving the prairies and trying to get south to escape the cold."[16]: 108
The greater prairie-chicken was almost extinct in the 1930s due to hunting pressure and habitat loss. InIllinois alone, in the 1800s, the prairie-chicken numbered in the millions. It was a popular game bird, and like many prairie birds, which have also suffered massive habitat loss, it is now on the verge of extinction, with the wild bird population at around 200 inIllinois in 2019. It now only lives on small parcels of managed prairie land.[17] Throughout North America, it is thought that their current population has declined severely, to approximately 500,000 individuals.[citation needed] In May 2000, the Canadian Species at Risk Act listed the greater prairie-chicken as extirpated in its Canadian range (Alberta,Saskatchewan,Manitoba,Ontario).[18] It was again confirmed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada in November 2009.[19] Nonetheless, sightings and encounters continue to occur in the south-central regions of Alberta and Saskatchewan, along with southern Ontario, where sightings are extremely rare.[20]
In states such as Iowa and Missouri that once had thriving prairie-chicken populations (estimated to be hundreds of thousands[21]), total numbers have dropped to about 500. However, theMissouri Department of Conservation has started a program to import prairie-chickens fromKansas andNebraska in the hopes that they will be able to repopulate the state and increase that number to 3,000.
Central Wisconsin is home to approximately 600 individuals, down from 55,000 when hunting was prohibited in 1954.[citation needed] Though this area was predominately spruce and tamarack marsh before European settlement, early pioneers drained the marshes and attempted to farm the poor soil. As the prairies to the south and west were lost to agriculture and development, and the southern half of Wisconsin was logged, the prairies spread northward into the abandoned farmland. Today, over 30,000 acres are managed by theWisconsin Department of Natural Resources as greater prairie-chicken habitat. Birdwatchers travel from around the world to visit Wisconsin in April for the Central Wisconsin Prairie Chicken Festival, started in 2006 by Golden Sands Resource Conservation & Development Council, Inc.
The Attwater's prairie chicken is one of the most endangered endemic species of the United States, its biggest threats are habitat loss caused byindustrialisation and natural disasters such asHurricane Harvey.[3] Captive-breeding programmes have been established at theFossil Rim Wildlife Center, Abeline Zoo,Caldwell Zoo,Houston Zoo, andNASA.[22]
There were many conservation efforts to save the heath hen. The biggest threats towards the subspecies were overhunting due to perceived overabundance, predation frominvasive species such asferal cats, and natural disasters. As early as 1791, bills were passed to protect the species but were poorly enforced.[23] By 1870, the heath hen was extirpated from mainland North America, leaving arelict population of 300 individuals onMartha's Vineyard. In 1908 the "Heath Hen Reserve" (Now theManuel F. Correllus State Forest) was established as a last ditch effort to save the remaining birds. By late 1928, only one male individual remained, Booming Ben, theendling of the subspecies.[24] Booming Ben was last seen in March 1932, with his disappearance marking the extinction of his subspecies.
There is an ongoing project to potentiallyrevive the heath hen throughgenome editing and reintroduce it to Martha's Vineyard. The project is carried out by American non-profit,Revive & Restore.[25]
Habitat loss is the greatest historical threat to prairie-chicken populations. More than 95% of alltallgrass prairie in the United States has been converted to cropland. The conversion of native prairie to cropland is very detrimental to these birds. It was found in a radio telemetry study conducted byKansas State University that "most prairie-chicken hens avoided nesting or rearing their broods within a quarter-mile of power lines and within a third-mile of improved roads." (Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks) It was also found that the prairie-chickens avoided communication towers and rural farms.
Studies have found mesopredators such asstriped skunks,raccoons, andopossums significantly increase egg mortality; experimental removal of these predators increased nesting success from 33% to 82%.[26] Loss ofapex predators such as bears, wolves, and mountain lions results in increased populations of these mesopredators, and therefore reduces populations of prairie-chickens, an example of a top-downtrophic cascade. Non-nativecommon pheasants also reduce prairie-chicken reproduction throughnest parasitism.
The small size of some isolated prairie-chicken populations in the Eastern portion of the range resulted in apopulation bottleneck, which reduced thegenetic diversity and ultimately survival of offspring.[27] In Illinois, wildlife management included the "genetic rescue" of small and potentially inbred populations by introducing birds from other areas.[28]
Greater prairie-chickens do notmigrate. They are territorial birds and often defend theirbooming grounds. These booming grounds are the area in which they perform their displays in hopes of attracting females. Their displays consist of inflating air sacs located on the side of their neck and snapping their tails. These booming grounds usually have very short or no vegetation. The male prairie-chickens stay on this ground displaying for almost two months. The breeding season usually begins in the United States starting in late March and throughout April. During this time the males establish booming sites where they display for the females. The one or two most dominant males can obtain 90% of mating opportunities.[citation needed] Due to their now small populations andhabitat fragmentation the greater prairie-chickens often undergo inbreeding causing observableinbreeding depression: with fewer offspring and a decreased survival rate within these limited offspring further aiding their population decrease.
After mating has taken place, the females move about one mile from the booming grounds and begin to build theirnests. Hens lay between 5 and 17eggs per clutch and the eggs take between 23 and 24 days to hatch. There are between five and 10 young per brood.[29] The young are raised by the female andfledge in one to four weeks, are completely independent by the tenth to twelfth week, and reach sexual maturity by age one (Ammann, 1957). A study of female greater prairie-chickens in Kansas found that their survival rates were 1.6 to 2.0 times higher during the non-breeding season compared to the breeding season; this was due to heavy predation during nesting and brood-rearing.[30] One problem facing prairie-chickens is competition with thering-necked pheasants. Pheasants lay their eggs in prairie-chicken nests. The pheasant eggs hatch first; this causes the prairie-chickens to leave the nest thinking that the young have hatched. In reality, prairie-chicken eggs do not hatch and the young usually die due to lack ofincubation.
Game animals and shooting in North America | ||
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| Game birds |  | |
| Waterfowl | ||
| Big game | ||
| Other quarry | ||
| See also | ||
| National | |
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| Other | |
