Lesser Prairie-Chicken

The Lesser Prairie-Chicken is a small, pale grouse restricted to sandy grassland and shrub-steppe of the southern Great Plains. It is smaller and lighter in tone than its close relative the Greater Prairie-Chicken, with fine brown-and-buff barring overall and a short, dark, rounded tail. Males display prominent erect neck pinnae feathers and bare, reddish-orange (rather than orange-yellow) air sacs on the neck, inflated during an elaborate courtship display on communal leks.

Key field marks

• Overall paler, sandier plumage than Greater Prairie-Chicken, with fine barring
• Smaller body size
• Male neck air sacs are reddish-orange to dull red rather than bright orange-yellow
• Restricted to sandy shortgrass and shinnery oak/sand sagebrush prairie

Similar species

Greater Prairie-Chicken is larger and darker with orange-yellow (not reddish) neck sacs; the two species' ranges essentially do not overlap, with Lesser Prairie-Chicken confined to the sandy plains of the southern Great Plains.

Habitat and Range

Lesser Prairie-Chickens depend on sandy soil grassland habitats such as shinnery oak grassland and sand sagebrush prairie, requiring large, relatively unfragmented expanses for lekking, nesting, and brood-rearing.

Range

The species is restricted to portions of the southern Great Plains, including parts of southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas, the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles, and eastern New Mexico -- a much smaller range than its historical extent.

Migration

Lesser Prairie-Chickens are non-migratory, remaining within relatively small home ranges, though populations may shift locally in response to drought and habitat conditions.

Behavior

Males display on traditional leks with foot-stamping, wing-flutter displays, and inflation of their reddish-orange neck air sacs, competing for female attention in a manner very similar to the Greater Prairie-Chicken.

Voice

The display call is a deep, resonant, gobbling and booming sound produced from the inflated neck sacs, along with cackles and whines during disputes between rival males.

Feeding

Diet includes seeds, waste grain, and leaves, with insects especially important for chicks during the breeding season.

Nesting and breeding

Females nest on the ground under grass or low shrub cover, often at some distance from the lek, and raise the brood alone; nest success is closely tied to the amount of residual grass cover available.