The lesser prairie-chicken is a species of prairie grouse found in the grasslands of the central and southern Great Plains of North America. Its range includes parts of New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Kansas. The lesser prairie-chicken is a smaller relative of the greater prairie-chicken and is known for its colorful mating displays on communal breeding grounds known as leks.
Over the past century, the lesser prairie-chicken’s population and range have declined significantly. This has led many to question if the species should be listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
Quick Facts on the Lesser Prairie-Chicken
Scientific Name
The scientific name of the lesser prairie-chicken is Tympanuchus pallidicinctus. It is a medium-sized species of prairie grouse.
Description
Lesser prairie-chickens are a rotund, round-winged species of grouse with stocky legs. They range in length from 14 to 16 inches and weigh between 1 and 1.5 pounds. Their plumage is cryptically colored with barring and mottling for camouflage in open grasslands. Males have yellow-orange combs over the eyes and dull orange air sacs on the neck which are inflated during courtship displays.
Range
The lesser prairie-chicken’s historical range included shortgrass prairies and sand sagebrush grasslands in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Today, their range has been reduced by over 90% to isolated parcels of prairie in the southern Great Plains.
Population Status
It is estimated that the total wild population of lesser prairie-chickens is between 17,000-18,000 individuals today. In 2014, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified the lesser prairie-chicken as Vulnerable on their Red List of Threatened Species.
Habitat
Lesser prairie-chickens are dependent on undisturbed native grasslands and shrublands with a mix of shortgrasses, mid-grasses, and shrubs. These habitats provide nesting cover, forage, and protection from predators. The lesser prairie-chicken avoids areas with trees or tall structures.
Diet
The diet of the lesser prairie-chicken consists mainly of seeds, leaves, buds, and some insects. It forages on the ground for food and needs high protein insects, especially during breeding season and for chick growth.
Threats and Decline of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken
The lesser prairie-chicken population has declined by an estimated 97% since the early 1800s. There are several key threats that have contributed to the drastic reduction in numbers and range:
Habitat Loss
The predominant threat is loss of native grassland and shrubland habitat across the lesser prairie-chicken’s range. It is estimated over 90% of its habitat has been degraded or lost since the 1800s due to agricultural conversion, urban development, and habitat fragmentation from roads and infrastructure. This leaves little suitable habitat across its five state range.
Drought
Periods of extended drought in the Great Plains can negatively impact lesser prairie-chicken numbers. Drought leads to loss of forage and nesting cover. Without adequate cover, the birds are more vulnerable to predation. Prolonged drought also reduces breeding success and chick survival.
Energy Development
Oil and gas development and renewable energy infrastructure like wind turbines and power lines introduce tall vertical structures into prairie-chicken habitat. These structures increase predation, fragment habitat, and disrupt mating displays. Noise and disturbance from energy facilities may also displace birds from leks.
Livestock Grazing
While light to moderate grazing can benefit prairie-chickens by reducing dense vegetation, heavy continuous grazing can degrade nesting cover, decrease plant diversity, and increase invasive grasses. Lesser prairie-chickens avoid overgrazed areas.
Invasive Grasses
Invasive grasses like cheatgrass have come to dominate significant portions of the lesser prairie-chicken’s range. Invasive grasses provide poor nesting structure and degrade native prairie plant communities. Fire frequency also increases in invasive grasslands, further altering habitat.
Other Factors
Other issues are contributing in a smaller way to lesser prairie-chicken declines. These include grazing and predation of nests and chicks by livestock and wild species, collisions with fences and vehicles, West Nile virus, and climate change exacerbating drought, wildfire, and extreme weather events.
Conservation Actions
Various conservation actions are being implemented across the five range states of the lesser prairie-chicken in an effort to stabilize and increase populations:
Habitat Protection and Restoration
Federal and state agencies are partnering with landowners to protect and restore tracts of high quality habitat for the lesser prairie-chicken through conservation easements. Restoration efforts focus on improving native plant diversity and structure for nesting and brood-rearing. Prescribed fire and vegetation treatments are used to mimic natural disturbance regimes.
Private Land Incentives
Financial and technical assistance incentives are provided to private landowners to voluntarily manage their lands in ways that benefit prairie-chickens. USDA conservation programs like the Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative pay for prescribed grazing, brush management, and conservation practices.
Energy Development Guidelines
Guidelines have been developed advising placement of oil and gas activities and wind energy to reduce habitat fragmentation and minimize disturbance to breeding lesser prairie-chickens. For example, companies may adjust timing of operations or use directional drilling.
Population Monitoring
Annual lek surveys are conducted to estimate population trends, productivity, and distribution across the range. Lek surveys involve counting male courtship displays at known lek sites. Movement studies with radio telemetry also track habitat use and survival.
Captive Breeding
A number of breeding facilities maintain captive lesser prairie-chicken populations for research and potential future reintroduction efforts. In 2015, over 200 captive-raised juveniles were released in Kansas in an attempt to boost wild population numbers.
Federal Protection Status
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has wrestled with the decision of whether or not to federally protect the lesser prairie-chicken under the Endangered Species Act for over two decades. Here is a brief timeline:
1998 – First Petition to List
The National Wildlife Federation petitions the USFWS to list the lesser prairie-chicken as threatened. The petition is denied by the agency in 1999 due to insufficient evidence.
2008 – Second Petition
The Center for Biological Diversity again petitions USFWS to list it. A court settlement requires the agency to reconsider the petition.
2012 – Proposed Listing
USFWS proposes listing the lesser prairie-chicken as threatened in December 2012. A final decision is delayed.
2014 – Listed as Threatened
In March 2014, the lesser prairie-chicken is officially listed as threatened under the ESA across its five-state range by the USFWS. Critical habitat is also designated.
2015 – Listing Vacated
Oil and ranching states successfully sue, arguing the listing was unjustified given voluntary conservation efforts underway. A judge vacates the threatened status in September 2015.
2016 – Vulnerable Status
USFWS lists the lesser prairie-chicken as a National ESA Species of Concern and as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List in 2016 after the vacated ruling.
2021 – Review for Re-listing
In response to a lawsuit, the USFWS conducts a species status assessment in 2021 to again evaluate if ESA protections may be warranted. No decision has been made yet.
Outlook for the Future
The future of the lesser prairie-chicken remains tenuous and dependent on continued habitat conservation and management intervention. While still below historical levels, population trends over the past decade have been relatively stable rather than rapidly declining.
If significant new habitat protections are achieved and climate extremes do not severely exacerbate drought cycles in the Great Plains, the lesser prairie-chicken may survive without ESA listing. However, continued habitat fragmentation and degradation remain a long-term threat to the species’ small and isolated population levels.
Strong partnerships with private landowners, sustainable grazing management, and properly sited energy development that avoids high quality habitat will give the lesser prairie chicken the best chance at recovery. But the species’ specialized habitat needs and small population size make it vulnerable to many ongoing threats.
Conclusion
In summary, while not currently federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, the lesser prairie-chicken is in precarious condition with an isolated and small population vulnerable to habitat loss and degradation across its restricted five-state range. Conservationists warn that the lesser prairie-chicken could once again be candidates for ESA listing if habitat protections are weakened and populations substantially decline.
For now, the lesser prairie-chicken persists thanks to habitat initiatives targeting their unique needs for native prairies and shrublands largely free of vertical structures and excessive disturbance. But it serves as an important indicator species for the health of imperiled shortgrass prairie ecosystems. The lesser prairie chicken’s future remains intimately tied to how sustainably the southern Great Plains grasslands can be managed.