Species › Birds › Lesser Prairie-Chicken

Lesser Prairie-Chicken

Tympanuchus pallidicinctus

RareBird
Illustration of Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus)

The Lesser Prairie-Chicken is a smaller, paler cousin of the Greater Prairie-Chicken restricted to the short-grass and sand-sage prairie of the southern Great Plains. Males display at leks with rose-purple neck sacs, a color that distinguishes them from the orange-saced Greater Prairie-Chicken. Listed as threatened, it is one of the most imperiled grassland birds in North America.

Habitat
Sand-sage prairie and shinnery oak scrub of the southern Plains
Diet
Seeds, insects, and plant material
How common
Rare

Best time to see a Lesser Prairie-Chicken

The best time to see a Lesser Prairie-Chicken is April, when about 78% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 268 research-grade iNaturalist observations.

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