The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is a species of prairie grouse endemic to the Great Plains region of North America. Once abundant across much of the southern Great Plains, lesser prairie-chicken populations have declined dramatically since the 19th century due to habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation. Today, the lesser prairie-chicken is considered a vulnerable species and is under review for protection under the Endangered Species Act. Understanding current population numbers and trends is critical for conservation efforts.
Current Population Status
The most recent population estimate for the lesser prairie-chicken comes from a 2016 range-wide survey coordinated by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA). This survey estimated the total spring population across the five-state range of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas at 34,408 birds. This represents an overall population decline of approximately 15% from the previous range-wide estimate in 2012.
Population estimates by state from the 2016 survey:
State | Estimated Population |
---|---|
Colorado | 6,010 |
Kansas | 19,191 |
New Mexico | 705 |
Oklahoma | 9,493 |
Texas | 14,316 |
Kansas holds over half of the total lesser prairie-chicken population. However, the state has seen declines from 2012, when its population was estimated at 24,721 birds. New Mexico has seen the sharpest decline, dropping from a 2012 estimate of 1,727 birds.
Historical Population Trends
Lesser prairie-chicken populations are estimated to have declined by over 90% from historical levels. In the early 1800s, their range spanned over 200,000 square miles across Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, as well as areas of Arizona, Nebraska and Wyoming. Population estimates reached over a million birds prior to European settlement of the Great Plains.
Habitat loss from agricultural expansion and development caused initial declines in the late 1800s. Market hunting compounded losses in the early 1900s, with an estimated 2 million lesser prairie-chickens harvested between 1878 and 1936. Populations stabilized from the 1930s to 1970s due to conservation measures and the enrolling of lands into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), but have generally trended downward since then.
State wildlife agencies began coordinated spring population surveys in the 1960s. These surveys documented regional population highs in the 1960s and 1970s, followed by declines of over 90% in some areas by the early 2000s. From 2013 to 2020, spring surveys indicated a population range of 24,000 to 35,000 total birds.
Year | Estimated Total Population |
---|---|
1967 | 44,700 |
1980 | 55,000 |
2002 | 32,000 |
2013 | 24,Urls |
2016 | 34,400 |
2020 | 35,000 |
Reasons for Decline
The decline of the lesser prairie-chicken is primarily attributed to loss and fragmentation of native prairie habitat across its range. Over the past two centuries, the once vast prairies of the Great Plains have been extensively converted to cropland and urban development. This has reduced available habitat and increased distances between remaining suitable habitat patches.
Specific factors contributing to habitat loss and degradation:
– Conversion of native prairie to cropland: Over 96% of the lesser prairie-chicken’s shinnery oak and sand sagebrush habitat has been lost. Remaining native prairie is highly fragmented.
– Habitat fragmentation from oil and gas development: Infrastructure such as wells, roads and power lines break up habitat. Noise and traffic disturb birds.
– Woody plant encroachment: Increasing tree and shrub density in prairies degrades habitat quality. Lack of natural fires and grazing promotes woody growth.
– Livestock overgrazing: Can reduce vegetation cover needed for nesting and brood-rearing.
– Lack of suitable disturbance: Lesser prairie-chickens depend on some natural or prescribed fire and grazing disturbance to maintain habitat quality. Lack of disturbance allows too much woody encroachment.
– Prolonged drought: Can reduce vegetation vital for food and cover. Climate change may increase drought frequency and severity.
Habitat fragmentation also exacerbates risks from predation and disease. Smaller, disconnected populations are more vulnerable to extinction from random events.
Conservation Actions
Several conservation actions are in place or proposed to stabilize and recover lesser prairie-chicken populations:
– Habitat preservation and restoration: Preserving remaining high quality habitat blocks and improving habitat connectivity through restoration of native prairie vegetation.
– Sustainable grazing management: Managing livestock grazing intensity and timing to maintain appropriate vegetation structure and composition for nesting and brood-rearing cover.
– Prescribed fire: Using controlled burns to reduce woody plants and increase habitat diversity.
– Avoidance buffers near leks: Limiting disruptive activities near communal breeding areas during critical periods.
– Population monitoring: Continuing annual lek surveys to monitor population trends.
– Potential listing under ESA: The lesser prairie-chicken is currently under consideration for protection under the Endangered Species Act. Listing could bring additional habitat protections and funding.
– Voluntary conservation efforts: Conservation easements, landowner incentives programs, and energy industry habitat conservation plans aim to protect key habitats.
Outlook
Lesser prairie-chicken numbers have shown some stability in recent years, likely due to conservation actions. However, populations remain below objective levels and below the estimated carrying capacity of remaining habitat.
Continued habitat loss and fragmentation, exacerbated by drought cycles, remain substantial threats to recovery. Climate change effects, such as increased drought frequency, add additional long-term uncertainty. Significant, proactive investment in habitat conservation will be required to return lesser prairie-chicken populations to healthy, sustainable levels.
Close monitoring of populations and habitat conditions will be necessary to determine if conservation efforts can reverse the long-term declining trend for this vulnerable species. The lesser prairie-chicken’s future depends on our ability to preserve, restore and sensitively manage the prairie ecosystems it depends on.
Conclusion
In summary, current surveys estimate the total population of the lesser prairie-chicken to be around 34,000 birds, with over half residing in Kansas. This reflects a decline from historical numbers that likely exceeded one million, before habitat loss and unregulated hunting decimated populations in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Conservation measures helped stabilize and increase populations in the mid-1900s, but habitat fragmentation and degradation have caused renewed declines since the 1970s.
Preserving and restoring native prairie habitat, and managing prairie landscapes to meet the ecological needs of lesser prairie-chickens, are essential to recover populations. Careful monitoring of populations and trends is also critical. While recent conservation efforts show promise, habitat loss and degradation remain substantial threats. The long-term survival of the lesser prairie-chicken depends on continued, proactive investment in habitat protection and management across its Great Plains range.