Greater Prairie-chicken: Everything You Need to Know!

The Greater Prairie-chicken is a fascinating bird species known for their interesting booming noises and mating displays. Here is everything you need to know about these grassland specialists.
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badgerlandbird...
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Range map adapted from cephas (CC by 3.0)
creativecommon...
Greater Prairie-chicken sitting in snow photo by Grayson Smith/USFWS (Public domain)
Lesser Prairie-chicken photo by Alan Schmierer (Public domain)
Attwater's Prairie-chicken photo by George Lavendowski (CC by 2.0, edited)
creativecommon...
Heath Hen photo author unknown (public domain)
Photo in cover image and in map by USFWS (public domain, edited)
All other photos and videos by Derek and Ryan Sallmann
#Birding #BirdWatching #BadgerlandBirding

[@danae-rain3019]

My mother was born in 1924 in Yankton SD. She used to talk about the Prairie Chickens . We lived in MN and I have never seen one.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@danae-rain3019 they’re very habitat specific so it’s not a bird you’ll randomly run into but if you go to their habitats I’m sure you could see them!

[@MRichK]

Saw them at Buena Vista Grasslands in Wisconsin. Loved reading Fran Hamerstrom's books about them. My brother in law was one of her volunteers back in the day. Fran , the niece of Clarence Darrow and and married to one of Aldo Leopold's grad students was and is kind of a legend in Wisconsin conservation. Plus she wrote one of the great (to me at least!) unsung children's books: Walk When the Moon is Full"

[@BadgerlandBirding]

All of the videos I used in this are from Buena Vista!

[@duckypam]

I went to see prairie chickens three years ago. A thrill I had been waiting for since seeing the birds in encyclopedias as a young child. What a thrill

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Awesome!

[@billbey1]

There was a Prairie Chicken feeding along a busy road in southern Iowa. He was a very good muse and would display a variety of behaviors as I sat in my car nearby. When cars came by he would fly along the fenceline probably feeling challenged. He would jump up on fence posts and feed in the ditch, unfortunately too close to the road. Up close and personal he was so fun to watch. One of my best birding adventures, but I left concerned for his safety and pondered about him being in the area without any potential mates. He did end up being a traffic casualty which is heartbreaking after spending special moments in observation of such a lovely bird. RIP

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Oh dang :/ that’s too bad. Was it out of its range or by a lekking ground?

[@billbey1]

@@BadgerlandBirding He was only 8-10 miles from the Kellerton Bird Conservation area where the Greater Prairie Chicken project was introduced many years back.

[@twoheadedpanthr]

I went to see them in Illinois in March this year, it was incredible. That booming sound really caught me off guard. I heard there was only around 100 left in Illinois.

[@BirdBrainBrian64]

I have yet to see a prairie chicken but I grew up in Oregon and saw Greater Sage-Grouse a few times as a kid when in eastern Oregon.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@BirdBrainBrian64 that’s cool! Definitely wanna see them displaying someday

[@thecornells7430]

Thanks ,guys. This is a particularly useful and interesting piece. Great work as ever. 🇬🇧

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Thank you!

[@richarddial1188]

I love this bird!

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Great bird

[@NathanWebb-c5h]

I've never seen a greater prairie chicken, but I have seen a sharp-tailed grouse in western Nebraska.

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@NathanWebb-c5h that’s cool!

[@angrygoose23]

I think I’m losing it because that thumbnail made me giggle like I was on something. I have not had the pleasure of seeing one of these boomy borbs. I think I’ve seen a chicken _in_ a prairie, does that count?

[@BadgerlandBirding]

Unfortunately that’s just a prairie chicken, not a prairie-chicken 😂

[@holdengreen2151]

I used to do lek surveys in Nebraska for greater prairie chickens. It was delightful. They’re adorable. Why is it still legal to hunt them?

[@jago76]

I'm curious why hunting would be allowed of a diminished population of an at-risk species?

[@BadgerlandBirding]

@@jago76 yeah :/ doesn’t seem like a great idea. I’m assuming it’s heavily regulated and only in areas with healthy populations. Maybe some of the money from the hunting helps promote conservation?

[@chasingbirds3073]

The hunts are generally very limited (fewer than 50 birds harvested), with little to no impact on the overall population. Google "compensatory mortality". That being said, many state wildlife agencies are discontinuing grouse hunts altogether because of public perception.

[@lukeocasio2784]

What a beautiful bird .... I wonder how they taste hahahaha

[@BadgerlandBirding]

The internet says "Greater Prairie-Chickens, once commonly hunted, are said to have a gamey flavor, similar to other wild birds like grouse or pheasant. Their taste can vary depending on their diet and habitat, often described as earthy and slightly richer than domestic chicken." Doesn't sound great haha

[@chasingbirds3073]

Pretty good, actually.