Greater Prairie-Chicken

Tympanuchus cupidoOrder: GALLIFORMES Family: Turkeys and Grouse (Phasianidae)

Codes: Common Name: GRPC Scientific Name: TYMCUP ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175834

Greater Prairie-Chicken: The male Greater Prairie-Chicken is strongly barred with brown and buff (or white). The legs are feathered down to the toes. Head has yellow-orange eye combs. Orange air sacs on both sides of the neck are inflated, long feathers on back of neck are raised during courtship.

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Overview

Greater Prairie-Chicke: Medium grouse, barred with brown and buff (or white). Yellow-orange eye combs. Orange air sacs on both sides of the neck inflate during courtship display; long feathers on back of neck also raised during displays. Short, dark brown tail, legs are feathered to the toes.

Range and Habitat

Greater Prairie-Chicken: Once found in suitable prairie/forest habitat from southern Ontario to Alberta, and from Ohio to the northern Great Plains, this species was almost gone by the end of 1930s. It now survives in scattered areas of southern Canada and in the midwestern U.S.; land is being acquired for managed habitats to save the bird from extinction. Prefers open sweeps of permanent tallgrass and a minimum of brush and trees. Needs grass of 10 to 18 inches in height for roosting and nesting.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"whoo-doo-dooooohh, zoooo....wooooo.....youoo"

Interesting Facts

One of the most famous aspects of the Greater Prairie Chicken is the mating ritual called booming.

It is thought that their current population is about 459,000 individuals.

It was found in a radio telemetry study conducted by Kansas 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."

A group of prairie chickens are known collectively as a "little house" and a "pack" of prairie chickens.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Yury Lisyak

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Greater Prairie-Chicken

● Song: "whoo-doo-dooooohh, zoooo....wooooo.....youoo"

● Foraging & Feeding: Greater Prairie-Chicken: Feeds on leaves, seeds, buds, cultivated grains, fruits, and insects.

● Breeding & nesting: Greater Prairie-Chicken: Seven to seventeen olive eggs spotted with dark brown are laid in a bowl-shaped ground depression lined with grass, dead leaves, and feathers. Incubation ranges from 23 to 24 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Greater Prairie-Chicken: Lesser Prairie-Chicken has pink neck patch, generally paler plumage, and more finely barred flanks.

Flight Pattern

Swift flight on series of rapidly beating wings.

● Range & Habitat: Greater Prairie-Chicken: Once found in suitable prairie/forest habitat from southern Ontario to Alberta, and from Ohio to the northern Great Plains, this species was almost gone by the end of 1930s. It now survives in scattered areas of southern Canada and in the midwestern U.S.; land is being acquired for managed habitats to save the bird from extinction. Prefers open sweeps of permanent tallgrass and a minimum of brush and trees. Needs grass of 10 to 18 inches in height for roosting and nesting.

^BreedingPromiscuous

^PopulationEndangered in limited range in U.S., Uncommon to rare, Declining

^MigrationMost do not migrate

^Weight35.2 Ounces

Perching-like Body

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America