Lesser Prairie-Chicken

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

Codes: Common Name: LEPC Scientific Name: TYMPAL ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175838

Breeding Location:

Grasslands

Breeding Type:

Polygamous, Promiscuous

Breeding Population:

Uncommon to rare, Declining

Egg Color:

White to buff, with pale brown or olive spots

Number of Eggs:

11 - 13

Incubation Days:

22 - 24

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Lined with grasses.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

General

Lesser Prairie-Chicken: Medium-sized, stocky grouse, brown overall with fine white bars. Head has yellow-orange combs over eyes and plumes that can be raised or laid along the neck. Red-orange air sacs on sides of neck inflate during courtship. Tail is short, black, and rounded. Female is brown with fine white bars and lacks air sacs and combs.

Range and Habitat

Lesser Prairie-Chicken: Resident in southern Colorado and Kansas, south locally in western Oklahoma, Texas, and eastern New Mexico. Found in sandy grassland areas that have an abundance of midgrass, sandsage, and yucca.

Breeding and Nesting

Lesser Prairie-Chicken: Eleven to thirteen white to buff eggs finely spotted with pale brown or olive are laid in a shallow ground depression lined with grass. Incubation ranges from 22 to 24 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Lesser Prairie-Chicken: In summer, feeds on grasshoppers and other insects; Eats seeds, leaves, and grain from agricultural lands during winter.

Vocalization

Lesser Prairie-Chicken: Utters gobbling and bubbling sounds.

Similar Species

Lesser Prairie-Chicken: Greater Prairie-Chicken has yellow air sacs.

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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.

Lesser Prairie-Chicken

Lesser Prairie-Chicken: Medium, stocky grouse, brown overall with fine white bars. Head has yellow-orange combs over eyes, plumes that can be raised or laid along the neck. Red-orange air sacs on sides of neck inflate during courtship. Tail is short, black, and rounded. Yellow-brown feathered legs.

● Song: No data available.

● Foraging & Feeding: Lesser Prairie-Chicken: In summer, feeds on grasshoppers and other insects; Eats seeds, leaves, and grain from agricultural lands during winter.

● Breeding & nesting: Lesser Prairie-Chicken: Eleven to thirteen white to buff eggs finely spotted with pale brown or olive are laid in a shallow ground depression lined with grass. Incubation ranges from 22 to 24 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Lesser Prairie-Chicken: Greater Prairie-Chicken has yellow air sacs.

Flight Pattern

Alternates several rapid shallow wing beats with short glides., Strong rapid flight.

Lesser Prairie-Chicken Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Lesser Prairie-Chicken: Resident in southern Colorado and Kansas, south locally in western Oklahoma, Texas, and eastern New Mexico. Found in sandy grassland areas that have an abundance of midgrass, sandsage, and yucca.

^BreedingPolygamous, Promiscuous

^PopulationUncommon to rare, Declining

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight27.2 Ounces

Plumes

Large, conspicuous, showy feathers.

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