Greater Prairie-Chicken

Tympanuchus cupido

Where they still survive, Greater Prairie-Chickens gather together yearly at display grounds (called "leks"). There they perform striking mating dances: the males strut about and stamp their feet, with feather "horns" erect and yellow-orange sacs of skin inflated on the sides of the neck. All the while they are uttering a deep cooing call that may be heard a mile away. They leap and whirl in the air, and threaten each other by short runs with tail raised, head down, and horns erect.

Look For : Grayish-brown-and-white bars on body. Male: black neck feathers; orange air sacs inflated in courtship.

Length : 16-18".

Habitat : Native grasslands.

Range : Great Plains.