| Tympanuchus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male lesser prairie chicken (T. pallidicinctus) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Tribe: | Tetraonini |
| Genus: | Tympanuchus Gloger, 1841 |
| Type species | |
| Tetrao cupido Linnaeus, 1758 | |
| Species | |
Tympanuchus cupido | |
| Synonyms | |
Pedioecetes | |
Tympanuchus is a small genus ofbirds in thegrouse family. They are commonly referred to asprairie-chickens.
The genusTympanuchus was introduced in 1841 by the German zoologistConstantin Wilhelm Lambert Gloger for thegreater prairie chicken.[1][2] The name combines theAncient Greektumpanon meaning "kettle-drum" withēkheō meaning "to sound".[3]
The genus contains three species:[4]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharp-tailed grouse
| Tympanuchus phasianellus (Linnaeus, 1758) Seven subspecies
| north to Alaska, south to California and New Mexico, and east to Quebec, Canada | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Greater prairie-chicken
| Tympanuchus cupido (Linnaeus, 1758) Three subspecies
| Central U.S., formerly to the Atlantic coast | Size: Habitat: Diet: | NT |
| Lesser prairie-chicken
| Tympanuchus pallidicinctus (Ridgway, 1873) | western Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle including the Llano Estacado, eastern New Mexico, and southeastern Colorado. | Size: Habitat: Diet: | VU |
All three are among the smaller grouse, from 40 to 43 cm (16 to 17 in) in length. They are found inNorth America in different types ofprairie. In courtship display onleks, males make hooting sounds and dance with the head extended straight forward, the tail up, and colorful neck sacks inflated (shown in the photograph at upper right).Tympanuchus comes fromAncient Greek roots and means "holding a drum"; it refers to themembranous neck sacks and the drum-like call of the greater prairie chicken.
The two prairie chickens are particularly closely related and look extremely similar. But their taxonomy and the evolutionary relationships of theTympanuchus is yet to be discovered. There is still unknown information about these genera. But one thing we do know is thatTympanuchus are polyphyletic. They have a strong sexual selection (Galla, 2013).
They are commonly seen in the North American Prairies (Galla, 2013).
The extinctheath hen of the American East Coast, usually considered a subspecies of the greater prairie chicken, has been considered a separate species.
An Englishman visiting the United States in the 1850s reported that prairie hens taste "like pheasants in flavour, but the flesh is the colour of grouse."[5]
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