Greater Prairie-Chicken

Description: The greater prairie chicken is easily distinguished from other types of grouse by the long neck feathers called “pinnae,” which stand up over the head during courtship. The birds are dark brown and tan with a short, rounded tail. The male has a bright yellow neck sac and eye combs and barring across the center portion of the tail, while the hen tail is barred all the way across. The pinnae are much less distinguished on the hen, and the neck sacs and eye combs are not present. Average size: 16-19 inches. Average weight: 2 ¼-3 pounds.

Science: Greater prairie-chickens are found in small pockets of the Midwest and the northern central plains in prairie areas of tall and mixed grass. There are three subspecies, one of which is extinct and two of which are close to extinction or endangered. These birds are strong fliers and may travel as far as thirty miles between their winter and summer grounds. They eat small grains such as wheat, milo and corn, though they will also eat the seeds and leaves of many prairie plants. They will sometimes travel several miles before dawn from their roosting area to their feeding area. In the winter, they’ll form large packs of up to a couple hundred birds. Their population is declining as prairie grassland are converted to agricultural use. Birds have been reintroduced in some areas.

Hunting: Because of their population, greater prairie chickens can only be legally hunted in a few states. In the early season, birds can be hunted with wide-ranging pointers. As it gets colder, birds pack up and become more wary. Hunters can sometimes find a flight path from the roosting area to the feeding area, set up a blind, and pass shoot birds. The eating quality is fair: the meat is dark.