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Lifespan, longevity, and ageing

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Maximum longevity: 13.5 years (wild) Observations: In the wild, these animals probably live up to 5 years (http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/).
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Biology

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In April, male lesser prairie chickens compete for access to females via a lekking system. Males gather in a display ground known as a 'lek' and perform elaborate courtship displays before the female selects her mate (2). These displays involve inflating the red throat sacs, raising the neck and tail feathers and making short jumps into the air (2). Following mating, the male takes no further part in the care of his offspring. Females lay a clutch of 12 – 15 eggs in a nest hidden amongst the grass and incubate them for around one month (2). Lesser prairie chickens feed on a variety of items including seeds, grain and insects in the warmer months (3). If the winter is particularly harsh, these birds will burrow into the snow to provide warmth (2).
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Conservation

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The lesser prairie chicken is protected within all states that it occurs in (3), and it is a Candidate Species for listing as Threatened on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Act (4). Research into the causes of recent population declines is being undertaken (2). Reintroduction programmes have also been attempted but so far have proven unsuccessful (3).
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Description

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The lesser prairie chicken is a gamebird that occupies the American prairies. It is a sandy colour with brown barred markings (2). There are yellow wattles of bare skin above the eyes (3). The red air sacs on the side of the throat are particularly prominent in males, who also have longer neck-plumes (3). The pale colours provide camouflage in the sandy grasslands of their habitat (2).
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Habitat

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Inhabits prairie grasslands where there is shinnery oak (Quercus havardii) or sand sagebrush (Artemisia filifolia) (3).
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Range

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The lesser prairie chicken still occurs in much of its former range including Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico, United States (2). Population numbers have declined by as much as 97% since the beginning of the 19th century (2).
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Status

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Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List 2002 (1).
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Threats

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The conversion of vast areas of the American plains into farmland has caused the decline of a number of native species, including the lesser prairie chicken (2). These birds were also hunted in unsustainable numbers in the early 20th century and reduced populations are more vulnerable to extreme weather conditions such as drought (3).
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Lesser prairie chicken

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The lesser prairie chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is a species in the grouse family.

Description

It is a medium to large bird, striped white and brown, slightly smaller and paler than its near relative the greater prairie chicken (T. cupido). Adults range from 15.0 to 16.1 inches (38 to 41 cm) in length and 22.1 to 28.7 ounces (630 to 810 g) in weight.[4]

Distribution

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.

Behavior

Like its larger relative, it is known for its lekking behavior.

Conservation

Considered "vulnerable" by the IUCN due to its restricted and patchy range, it is vulnerable to habitat destruction.[1] The lesser prairie chicken's habitat has been reduced by 85%, and their population has declined by as much as 99% in some ecoregions as a result. Of the remaining patches of suitable habitat, only around 0.1% are sufficiently contiguous to sustain even a minimum population of the birds. There is evidence suggesting that global warming may have a particularly detrimental influence by greatly reducing the size of the sagebrush ecosystem.[5] 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.

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 was supported by the American Energy Alliance and opposed by the League of Conservation Voters.[6]

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.[6]

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.[7]

Threatened and endangered species listings

On March 27, 2014, the lesser prairie chicken was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act but the listing was vacated in 2015 following a legal challenge.[8] On June 1, 2021, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposed splitting the species into two segments. The northern one, covering Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, and a portion of Texas, would be listed as threatened, and the southern one, covering New Mexico and a portion of Texas, as endangered.[9] On November 17, 2022, the USFWS published a final rule listing the Southern Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of the lesser prairie-chicken as endangered and the Northern DPS as threatened.[10][11] Implementation of the rule was delayed, taking effect on March 27, 2023.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b BirdLife International (2018). "Tympanuchus pallidicinctus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22679519A131795740. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22679519A131795740.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ BirdLife International and NatureServe (2014) Bird Species Distribution Maps of the World. 2012. Tympanuchus pallidicinctus. In: IUCN 2015. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. http://www.iucnredlist.org Archived 2014-06-27 at the Wayback Machine. Downloaded on 09 July 2015.
  3. ^ National Geophysical Data Center, 1999. Global Land One-kilometer Base Elevation (GLOBE) v.1. Hastings, D. and P.K. Dunbar. National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA. doi:10.7289/V52R3PMS [access date: 2015-03-16]
  4. ^ Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "Lesser Prairie-Chicken Identification". All About Birds. Cornell University. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  5. ^ Youth, Howard (2007). "Lekkin' Grouse on the Prairie". Zoogoer March/April 2007. National Zoo. Archived from the original on 2008-05-30. Retrieved 2008-05-31.
  6. ^ a b Sheppard, Kate. "Keystone, Meet The Grouse Wars". Huffington Post. January 28, 2015. November 19, 2015.
  7. ^ Kirk Johnson (February 20, 2010). "In the West, 'Monument' is a Fighting Word". New York Times. p. A8. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  8. ^ "U.S. lists lesser prairie chicken as threatened, energy groups wary". Reuters: Environment. Reuters. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  9. ^ USFWS (June 1, 2021). "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Lesser Prairie-Chicken; Threatened Status With Section 4(d) Rule for the Northern Distinct Population Segment and Endangered Status for the Southern Distinct Population Segment" (PDF). Federal Register. 86 (103): 29432–29482. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  10. ^ USFWS (17 November 2022). "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Lesser Prairie-Chicken; Threatened Status With Section 4(d)Rule for the Northern Distinct Population Segment and Endangered Status for the Southern Distinct Population Segment". Federal Register. 87 (226): 72674–72755. 87 FR 72674
  11. ^ 87 FR 73971
  12. ^ 88 FR 4087

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Lesser prairie chicken: Brief Summary

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The lesser prairie chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is a species in the grouse family.

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