Greater Prairie Chicken
The Greater Prairie Chicken or Pinnated Grouse, Tympanuchus cupido, is a large bird in the grouse family. This North American species was once abundant, but has become extremely rare or extinct over much of its range due to habitat loss. There are current efforts to help this species gain the numbers that it once had. One of the most famous aspects of these creatures is the mating ritual called booming.
 |
| Greater Prairie Chicken |
image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwsmtnprairie/
Description
Adults of both sexes are medium sized, stocky, with round-wings. They have short tails which are typically rounded and dark in color. Adult males have orange comb-like feathers over their eyes and dark, elongated head feathers that can be raised or lain along neck. They also possess a circular, un-feathered neck patch 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.
