Pinnated grouse, Boomer
The Greater prairie chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) is a large grouse from North American. This species was once abundant but has become extremely rare and extirpated over much of its range due to habitat loss. One of the most famous aspects of these birds is the mating ritual called booming.
Adults of both sexes are medium to large chicken-like birds, stocky with round wings. They have short tails which are typically rounded. Adult males have orange comb-like feathers over their eyes and dark, elongated head feathers that can be raised or lain along the neck. They also possess a circular, un-feathered neck patch that can be inflated while displaying; this, like their comb feathers, is also orange. As with many other bird species, the adult females have shorter head feathers and also lack the male's yellow comb and orange neck patch.
Greater prairie chickens are found in the United States and are restricted to Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and southeastern Texas. They prefer undisturbed prairie and were originally found in tallgrass prairies and oak savanna. They can also tolerate agricultural land mixed with prairie.
Greater prairie chickens do not migrate and spend their life within a small area where they feed, roost, and breed. They are territorial birds and males often defend their booming grounds. These booming grounds are the area in which they perform their displays in hopes of attracting females. Outside of the breeding season prairie chicks gather in big flocks. They are most active in the morning and late afternoon spending time walking about pecking on seeds on the ground and gleaning insects. They sometimes feed in trees where they pick fruits and berries. Greater prairie chicks are strong fliers and usually make short flies between roosting and feeding areas. To communicate with each other they use grunts, cackles, hisses, and make booming calls.
Greater prairie chickens are herbivores (folivores, granivores, frugivores). Their diet consists primarily of leaves, seeds, and fruit, but during the summer they also eat insects and green plants.
Greater prairie chickens are polygynous. The one or two most dominant males usually obtain most of the mating opportunities. The breeding season usually starts in late March and lasts throughout April. During this time the males establish booming sites where they display for the females. After mating, the females move about one mile (1.6 km) from the booming grounds and begin to build their nests. They lay between 5 and 17 eggs per clutch and the eggs take between 23 and 24 days to hatch. The young are raised by the female and fledge in 1 to 4 weeks. They become completely independent at 10-12 weeks and reach reproductive maturity by age one.
Greater prairie chickens were once abundant, but have become extremely rare and extirpated over much of their range due to hunting and habitat loss. These birds also suffer from natural threats such as spring rains and droughts. Drenching rains can wreak havoc on their chicks, while drought can destroy food and also make it difficult for the chicks to survive. Another serious problem facing prairie chickens is competition with the ring-necked pheasants. Pheasants lay their eggs in prairie-chicken nests. The pheasant eggs hatch first; this causes the prairie chickens to leave the nest thinking that the young have hatched. In reality, the eggs did not hatch and the young usually die because the mother is not there to incubate the eggs.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Greater prairie chicken is around 700,000 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
