Chicken of the (Prairie) Sea

Sampling of shots of one of the rarest grouse, indeed of all birds, in North America, the Greater prairie chicken, or boomer as they're also known due to the vocalizations males make during the peak of their display. Charasmatic, photogenic icons of native prairie habitats. If you want to experience these interesting products of evolution, you need to plan ahead, not unlike a hunting trip, plan to be in a blind at least an hour prior to dawn, and sit tight for up to 5 hours before the birds leave for cover mid- to late-morning. Males visit and attend a lek, Scandinavian word for playground, which they prefer on somewhat open ground. When females show up, they ramp up their display rates, and exhibit additional behavior and vocalizations, including the "Flutter Jump" and "Whoop" call.

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Of Grouse & Grass<br />
Resting male prairie chicken among prairie grasses on his display territory. Bluestem Prairie SNA, near Glyndon, Clay County, Minnesota. The prairie chicken is synonymous with grassland habitats, especially relatively treeless native prairie. Loss of habitat to agriculture, and encroachment of remaining habitat by trees poses severe threats to the populations that remain. Fortunately, wildlife agencies and non-profit conservation groups are aggressively protecting and managing the remaining haunts of the prairie chicken, and in some locations such as the remnant Glacial Lake Agassiz beach ridge in west-central Minnesota populations have increased in recent decades.

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Of Grouse & Grass
Resting male prairie chicken among prairie grasses on his display territory. Bluestem Prairie SNA, near Glyndon, Clay County, Minnesota. The prairie chicken is synonymous with grassland habitats, especially relatively treeless native prairie. Loss of habitat to agriculture, and encroachment of remaining habitat by trees poses severe threats to the populations that remain. Fortunately, wildlife agencies and non-profit conservation groups are aggressively protecting and managing the remaining haunts of the prairie chicken, and in some locations such as the remnant Glacial Lake Agassiz beach ridge in west-central Minnesota populations have increased in recent decades.

Birds Bluestem Prairie SNA Clay County Minnesota Prairie chicken Wildlife