Greater Prairie Chicken

Greater Prairie Chicken are a medium sized member of the grouse family and their habitat consists of grass prairies or a mixture of agricultural and prairie in North America.

These grouse are about the size of a Black grouse and both male and female have similiar characteristics. They are of stocky build with light brown and black barring on upper body and white and black barring on under parts. They have short round tails and both have long feathers on the sides of their neck, the male's however are longer and are black tipped, he also has orange fleshy combs above his eyes. The male also has impressive yellow and purple airsacs on the sides of his head, which are noticeable during the breeding season when he inflates them.

The male Prairie chicken is a lekking bird and defends a territory (booming ground) to display and attract females. The male's display consists of feather displays (feathers on neck raising up like bunny ears, tail fanning, drop wings), vocal calls (booming call through airsacs), dancing displays (drumming feet etc). Clutch size is approx 6-11 eggs, incubation 23-24 days.

The Greater Prairie chicken's diet consists of seeds, grains, green plants, fruits and insects.

Prairie chicken too are fairly easy to keep and a charming addition to any collection, their display alone is a good reason to keep them.