Greater Prairie-Chicken Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A chunky game bird with a small head, chubby body, short legs, and relatively short tail.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Ruffed Grouse, smaller than a Ring-necked Pheasant.

  crow-sized

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 16.9 in (43 cm)
    • Weight: 31.9-36.1 oz (904-1024 g)
    • Wingspan: 27.4-28.5 in (69.5-72.5 cm)

  © Dorian Anderson / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Mottled brown, rufous, black, and white above, barred brown and white below.

• Behavior

  Prairie-chickens forage by slowly walking through grasslands and brush, hunting insects and pecking for seeds and grains, sometimes climbing into vegetation to obtain fruit and buds. They can fly strongly for considerable distances between roosting and feeding areas. Courtship displays are famously acrobatic, particularly when females are in attendance.
• Habitat

  Tallgrass and mixed-grass prairies interspersed with farmland, brushy areas, and occasional oak copses.