Prairie Chicken Conservation

Prairie Chickens, the original Boomers

When prairie chickens gather each year on their leks or “booming grounds”, they perform unique and entertaining dances complete with booming calls that can be heard up to 1.5 miles away. Once, millions of these birds inhabited the midwest, but over the years their numbers have declined, leading one of the species to extinction.

Species

There are four remaining species of prairie chickens in the United States, Greater Prairie Chicken, the Lesser Prairie Chicken, Attwater’s Prairie Chicken, and the Sharp-tailed Grouse. The Heath Hen went extinct in 1932. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife service, the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken is considered one of the most endangered birds in North America.

The Dance

Prairie Chickens are most known for their dance which is referred to as “booming”. Each year in the spring, male prairie chickens gather on their leks to compete for female attention and show dominance by stomping their feet and inflating the colorful air sacs along their necks. As they dance they emit low, long hums punctuated by clucks and cackles. Most prairie chickens will return to the same lek year after year.

Raising Young

The vast majority of prairie chicken hens will lay their eggs within 2 miles of the booming grounds. They seek out nesting sites with tall, dense vegetation that are surrounded by shorter vegetation. This habitat allows the prairie chickens to hide their nests but still see approaching predators. The difference in vegetation height is also useful for raising their young. The denser brush can offer hiding and protection while the shorter, less dense brush is easier for a chick to move through as they search for food. Chicks will stay with their mothers for 3 months. Typically, less than half of prairie chicken nests will hatch as predation is common.

Conservation

Prairie chickens benefit from a diversity of vegetation. It’s important for them to have areas of shorter grasses for their leks so its easier for females to see and select a potential mate. As such, many prairie chickens are found in grasslands where vegetation has been kept short by haying and/or grazing.

The type of grazing practices that a rancher or land-owner implement can greatly impact the plants grown in an area. While shorter grasses are important for booming grounds, having small areas of taller vegetation near the booming grounds is important for hens to hide their eggs and protect chicks.

Cultivating Land that’s Good for Prairie Chickens and Livestock

• Keep 30-50% of lands within 1 mile of leks as suitable nesting ground for prairie chickens
• In preferential nesting ground areas, pastures should be stocked at low to moderate rates to create different levels of height and density in vegetation.
• Avoid excessive litter on the ground which provides shelter for rodents and beckons predators to populate the area.
• Leave standing dead vegetation through the winter to help females in selecting upcoming nest sites.
• Use rotational grazing at moderate stocking rates or patch-burn-grazing to encourage diverse plant species, densities, and heights.
• Remove smooth bromegrass from brooding areas. This plant can cause chickens to get wet and freeze to death. Instead, grow native bunch grasses and widely spaced rhizomatous grasses to provide a better habitat for chicks.