Ecology of Lesser Prairie

Ecology of Lesser Prairie-Chickens

Two male chickens on gobbling ground.
image (c) Joel Sartore/www.joelsartore.com

Ecology of Lesser Prairie-Chickens

In spring 1999, we began an ambitious study into the ecology and the causes of declines in Lesser Prairie-Chickens in Oklahoma and New Mexico . In 1995, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) was petitioned to list Lesser Prairie-Chickens as 'threatened' under the Endangered Species Act. Their decision was that protection under the ESA for the species was warranted, but listing was precluded by higher priority species. Lesser Prairie-Chickens are found in southeastern Colorado, southwestern Kansas, northwestern Oklahoma, Eastern New Mexico, and the Texas Panhandle. Since the species occurs almost entirely on private lands in those states, the USFWS and state agencies have been working vigorously with private landowners to improve habitat conditions.

Since April 1999, we have captured and radio-tagged nearly 900 individuals in Oklahoma and New Mexico, recorded over 50,000 tracking locations, and located over 300 nests. Additionally, blood samples were taken from captured birds for disease and vitamin surveys, and for genetic analysis. Our research efforts in New Mexico were completed in March of 2006, and the final report from those efforts is available on our publications page. Our research efforts continue in Oklahoma, but we are also applying some of our results to management efforts, attempting to reduce collision rates (see section below).

One of the less pleasant tasks that are carried out by our field personnel is the recovery of carcasses and the determination of the cause of death. Through December 2004, 322 carcasses from radio tagged birds have been recovered. The cause of death was determined from 260 of those; 91 (35.0%) were due to predation by raptors, 76 (29.2%) were due to predation by mammals, 86 (33.1%) were due to collisions with fences, 4 (1.5%) were due to collisions with power lines, and 3 (1.2%) were due to collisions with automobiles. The charts presented here further demonstrate the differences observed between study sites as well as between sexes. Note that collision rates are much higher for hens than for cocks. This is especially problematic in Oklahoma, where collisions (including power line and automobile collisions) account for over 57% of the hen mortality.

Mortality causes of Lesser Prairie-Chickens by sex and location

Kaplan-Meier survivorship estimates:

	New Mexico		Oklahoma
	Males	Females	Males	Females
One Year Survivorship	0.539	0.663	0.622	0.506
Two Year Survivorship	0.313	0.416	0.310	0.138
Predicted Two Year Survivorship (based on first year estimate)	0.291	0.440	0.387	0.256

Since data collected thus far indicates that neither nest success (39%) nor adult survivorship (over 50% annual) can offer complete explanation for declining populations, we sponsored a graduate student to research brood survivorship and microhabitat use in 2002 and 2003 at our New Mexico study site. Vegetation data and microclimate data were collected for each brood location, and several random microclimate transects, with data loggers, were monitored. Preliminary results and analysis will be available soon. Young chicks received a 0.8-gram sew-on transmitter, and older chicks (30 days or more) received a 3-gram bib-mounted transmitter. Luke Bell completed his Master's thesis in 2005 at Oklahoma State University, and it is available by request.


Lesser Prairie-Chicken sporting a new radio transmitter image (c) Joel Sartore/www.joelsartore.com	image (c) Joel Sartore/www.joelsartore.com

Fence Marking: A conservation solution?

Our surprising finding that more than 40% of Lesser Prairie chicken mortality in Oklahoma is due to collisions with fences prompted a search for a means of reducing collisions. Removing old fences that are no longer needed is one obvious solution, and we are cooperating with landowners in high priority areas to help remove these fences. Many fences, though, are needed by ranchers, and we began a long process of trial and error to find a durable, relatively easy to install, and relatively inexpensive method of marking fences to increase their visibility to prairie-chickens. Visit our fence marking instruction page to learn our method.

The list of publications resulting from our research continues to grow. Below are the publications thus far (most are available for download at our publications page). Check back frequently for future results and publications.

Bell LA (2005) Habitat use and growth and development of juvenile Lesser Prairie-Chickens in southeastern New Mexico. MS Thesis. Okla. State Univ., Stillwater.

Bell LA, Pitman JC, Patten MA, Wolfe DH, Sherrod SK, Fuhlendorf SD. (In Press) Juvenile Lesser Prairie-Chicken growth and development in southeast New Mexico. Wilson Journal of Ornithology.

Patten MA, Wolfe DH, and Sherrod SK (2006) The effects of shrub control and grazing on habitat quality and reproductive success of Lesser Prairie-Chickens. Final Report to New Mexico Dept. Game and Fish. 21pp.

Patten MA, Wolfe DH, Shochat E, Sherrod SK (2005) Effects of microhabitat and microclimate selection on adult survivorship of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken. Journal of Wildlife Management 69:1270-1278.

Patten MA, Wolfe DH, Shochat E, Sherrod SK. (2005) Habitat fragmentation, rapid evolution, and population persistence. Evolutionary Ecology Research 7:235-249.

Van Den Bussche RA, Hoofer SR, Wiedenfeld DA, Wolfe DH, Sherrod SK (2003) Genetic variation within and among fragmented populations of Lesser Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus). Molecular Ecology 12:675-683.

Wiedenfeld DA, Wolfe DH, Toepfer JE, Mechlin LM, Applegate RD, Sherrod SK (2002) Survey for reticuloendotheliosis viruses in wild populations of Greater and Lesser Prairie-Chickens. Wilson Bulletin 114:142-144.

Wolfe DH, Patten MA, Sherrod SK (2003) Factors affecting nesting success and mortality of Lesser Prairie-Chickens in Oklahoma. Submitted to Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation for Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Project W-146-R. 23 pp.

Wolfe DH, Patten MA, Shochat E, Pruett CL, Sherrod SK. (In Press) Causes and patterns of mortality in Lesser Prairie-Chickens and implications for management. Wildlife Biology.

Grouse Bibliography compiled by Donald H. Wolfe (PDF file)
More than 400 pages of grouse citations organized by genus.

Article about fence collisions in the Fall 2006 issue of
Grouse Partnership News (PDF file)

Article about fence collisions and Lesser Prairie-Chicken mortality
from the Spring 2004 Sutton Newsletter (PDF file)

Article about tracking Lesser Prairie-Chicken chicks
from the Winter 2002 Sutton Newsletter (PDF file)

More of our Lesser Prairie-Chicken and other publications

Older, hard to find Lesser Prairie-Chicken publications

Copelin, F. F. 1963. The Lesser Prairie Chicken in Oklahoma. ODWC Tech. Bull. No. 6. 58 pp.
PDF provided by the Sutton Center with the permission of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
(PDF file size is more than 5 MB--broadband connection recommended.)

Davison, V. E. 1935. The Davison Ranch, Ellis County Oklahoma, Game Bird Project.
Unpublished report to Oklahoma Game and Fish Dept. 105 pp.
PDF provided by the Sutton Center with the permission of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
(PDF file size is more than 11 MB--broadband connection recommended.)

Schwilling, M. D. 1955. A study of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken in Kansas. Kansas Forestry, Fish and Game Commission.
PDF provided by the Sutton Center with the permission of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
(PDF file size is more than 8 MB--broadband connection recommended.)

Download an information and membership form for the North American Grouse Partnership in PDF format,
which you can read and print using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader

Oklahoma Wind, Wildlife, and Protected Areas
(Link to an interactive map on an external site)

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