Attwater’s Prairie-chicken - Ross Feldner

This is another American bird whose population has been decimated over the decades. Where once the sound of the males could be heard throughout the gulf coast prairies of Texas and Louisiana in the early 1900s, when they numbered to about 1 million birds, now this species has dwindled to the edge of extinction.

Today, the Attwater’s Prairie-chicken is found in only two Texas counties.

The reasons for their demise are habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and overhunting. Other factors include, urbanization, industrial expansion, invasive plant species and brush encroachment due to fire suppression. Less than 1% of the estimated 6 million acres of gulf coastal prairie habitat remains today, making it one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America.

In the late 1800s to early 1900s, uncontrolled hunting also contributed to the bird’s decline. Hunters would compete to kill the most prairie-chickens over several days, only to waste piles of bird carcasses at the end. By 2016, the population declined to 42 birds.

They have a diverse diet, eating grass shoots, petals of flowers, seeds, and insects such as grasshoppers.

Their dramatic mating display takes place when the birds gather in small groups on short grass, bare ground, or hilly areas to choose a mate. This area is called a lek or "booming ground." In these areas, the females watch the males and choose their mate. The male emits a booming, "woo-woo" sound from his neck sack, causing it to inflate, and struts around to attract a female.