In a victory for Lesser Prairie-Chickens, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced it will protect this iconic grassland bird under the Endangered Species Act. Two populations of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken will be protected by the decision: a Texas and New Mexico population that is being listed as endangered, and a separate northern population in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado that is being listed as threatened.
“This is terrific news for these fascinating birds and the overlooked and much-exploited prairies where they live,” said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity. “We wish that the USFWS hadn’t delayed this protection for 27 years, because quicker action would have meant a lot more Lesser Prairie-Chickens alive in a lot more places today. We’ll watch closely to ensure there are strong protections for the places where these birds live.”
The Lesser Prairie-Chicken is emblematic of the storied grasslands of the Southwest. It’s a species of prairie grouse commonly recognized for its colorful spring mating display and stout build. While historical estimates suggest Lesser Prairie-Chickens may have once numbered in the millions, its habitat has diminished across its historical range by about 90 percent, the result of the degradation and fragmentation of the southern Great Plains.
Aerial survey results from 2012 through 2022 estimate a five-year average Lesser Prairie-Chicken population of 32,210 across a five-state region. Although landowners and the oil and gas industry say they have had success with voluntary conservation measures to protect habitat and boost the bird’s numbers, the southern area in New Mexico and Texas where it resides is considered less resilient, and there may be as few as 5,000 birds remaining there. Conversion to crops, cattle grazing, the raising of powerlines and telephone poles, oil and gas drilling, and the incursion of woodlands – as well as drought and high temperatures linked to global warming – all harm the bird.
— Center for Biological Diversity
