Lesser Prairie-chicken
A species of Prairie-chickens Scientific name : Tympanuchus pallidicinctus Genus : Prairie-chickens
Lesser Prairie-chicken, A species of Prairie-chickens
Botanical name: Tympanuchus pallidicinctus
Genus: Prairie-chickens
Content
Description General Info
Description
The lesser prairie chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is a species in the grouse family. It is a medium to large bird, striped white and brown, slightly smaller and paler than its near relative the greater prairie chicken. Adults range from 15.0-16.1 in (38-41 cm) in length and 22.1-28.7 oz (628-813 g) in weight. About half of its current population lives in western Kansas, with the other half in the sandhills and prairies of western Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle including the Llano Estacado, eastern New Mexico, and southeastern Colorado. Like its larger relative, it is known for its lekking behavior. Considered "vulnerable" by the IUCN due to its restricted and patchy range, it is vulnerable to habitat destruction. There is evidence suggesting that global warming may have a particularly detrimental influence by greatly reducing the size of the sagebrush ecosystem. Subfossil remains are known, e.g., from Rocky Arroyo in the Guadalupe Mountains, outside the species' current range but where more habitat existed in the less humid conditions in the outgoing last ice age. Range contraction apparently took place no later than about 8000 BC. The United States Department of the Interior proposed creating a Lesser Prairie Chicken Preserve as a National Monument, but action was never taken action on the proposal. On March 27, 2014, the lesser prairie chicken was listed as threatened (T) under the Endangered Species Act but the listing was vacated in 2015 following a legal challenge and the bird's status remains uncertain. In 2015, Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan) introduced an amendment to legislation authorizing construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline that would overturn the listing. He disputed the listing as, "... another example of unnecessary intrusion into private lives and businesses by the federal government." His action is supported by the American Energy Alliance, and opposed by the League of Conservation Voters. When the Senate voted on the Keystone bill, it did not get the 60 votes in favor that was required to pass. It got only 53 Republican and one Democratic Senator to vote in favor. 
Size
41 cm (16 in)
Life Expectancy
1-13 years
Nest Placement
Ground
Feeding Habits
Lesser Prairie-chicken primarily consume a varied diet including plant material such as seeds, acorns, leaves, buds, as well as insects like grasshoppers and beetles. They forage on the ground using a pecking method similar to domestic chickens, especially during early morning and late afternoon. While adults have a diverse diet, developing chicks mainly feed on insects for protein.
Habitat
Lesser Prairie-chicken typically occupy shortgrass prairies within the southern Great Plains where vegetation is predominantly shinnery oak, sand sagebrush, and bluestem grasses. They prefer lower altitude habitats characterized by a mix of grasses like side oats grama and blue grama, set within a climate that supports their nesting and brooding needs. Specifically, lesser Prairie-chicken select display grounds with minimal vegetation on raised landscape features, while nesting sites are chosen for their dense shinnery oak and cover-providing plants like chickasaw plum. Their habitat expands in the winter, with individuals foraging in farm fields and utilizing sheltered areas like stream corridors lined with willows.
Nest Behavior
Females of the lesser Prairie-chicken species choose nest sites flush with flowering flora and initiate nest construction by digging and lining their scrapes.
Nest Characteristics
The lesser Prairie-chicken constructs its nest within shinnery oak groupings or tall vegetation in prairie landscapes. Females create soil scrapes and line them with grass, leaves, and feathers, forming a nest averaging 7.9 inches in diameter externally and 7 inches with a 3.5-inch depth internally.
Dite type
Insectivorous
General Info
Sounds
Call
Recording location: United States
Call
Recording location: United States
Behavior
Lesser Prairie-chicken display a remarkable array of behaviors that are closely tied to their specific habitats. In the early spring, male lesser Prairie-chicken congregate on leks to perform intricate and competitive mating displays, which include a series of visual and auditory signals such as stamping, booming, and flutter jumps. Their interactions in these arenas are intense, involving direct combat and showy demonstrations to win over females. Outside the breeding season, lesser Prairie-chicken form flocks and interact with their grassland environment more subtly, foraging and moving within their range. Notably, these birds have no role in nest selection or chick rearing, exemplifying a polygynous mating system where only a selection of dominant males mate.
Species Status
VULNERABLE. Considered threatened by US Fish & Wildlife Service (1973). Like T. cupido pinnatus, present species increased temporarily with advent of agriculture.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Family
Phasianidae Genus
Prairie-chickens Species
Lesser Prairie-chicken 
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