September 1999 Fish and Wildlife Habitat Management Leaflet Number 6

The lesser prairie-chicken is an upland, grassland-nesting bird present in regions of Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. Related to the sharp-tailed grouse and differing only slightly from the greater prairie-chicken in color, size, and primarily in range, the lesser prairie-chicken is best known for its unique courtship displays and "gobbling" grounds. A highly social animal, the lesser prairie-chicken is most easily observed in spring when males gather to display for females. Once present in large numbers, the lesser prairie-chicken population and its original distribution have declined significantly since 1800. In the twentieth century, human influences such as the conversion of native rangelands to cropland, decline in habitat quality due to herbicide use, petroleum and mineral extraction activities, and excessive grazing of rangelands by livestock have contributed to this decline. Severe drought has also significantly impacted prairie-chicken populations. Unfortunately, the lesser prairie-chicken has been studied less than many other more common and widely distributed grassland birds. Due to these factors, the lesser prairie-chicken is now being considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a species in need of protection through the Endangered Species Act.

This leaflet is designed to serve as an introduction to the habitat requirements of the lesser prairie-chicken and to assist landowners and managers in the development of a comprehensive lesser prairie-chicken management plan. The success of any individual species management plan depends on targeting the specific needs of the desired species and analyzing the designated habitat area to ensure that all required habitat elements are present. This leaflet provides a number of practical habitat management activities that can be conducted on private lands to boost local lesser prairie-chicken populations and encourages involving fish and wildlife professionals in the management plan to identify additional management actions needed over time.

Range

As a year-round resident, the breeding, summer, and winter ranges of the lesser prairie-chicken are identical. The lesser prairie-chicken is present in southeastern Colorado in Baca, Prowers, and Kiowa counties. In Kansas, the lesser prairie-chicken exists in nearly the entire southwestern quarter of the state bordering Oklahoma and Colorado. The species occurs in Oklahoma’s panhandle and northwest counties, and New Mexico counties of Harding and Union on the north to Eddy and Lea counties on the south. The northeastern and southwestern counties of Hemphill, Lipscomb, Wheeler, Donley, Cochran, Yoakum, and Gaines in the Texas panhandle support populations as well.

General
Native rangeland in different stages of plant succession and consisting of a diversity of native, short- to mid-height grasses and forbs interspersed with low-growing shrubby cover comprises optimum lesser prairie-chicken habitat. Sand sagebrush (Artemisia filifolia) communities dominated by sand dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus), side oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), and little bluestem (B. scoparium) make up the most preferred lesser prairie-chicken habitat in Kansas, Colorado, Texas and northern Oklahoma. Texas, New Mexico, and western Oklahoma provide shinnery oak/bluestem habitat dominated by sand bluestem (B. hallii), little bluestem, Indiangrass, switchgrass, buffalo grass, sand dropseed, and sand sagebrush. These habitat types provide protective cover for nesting and brood-rearing activities, as well as food. Sand plum (Prunus angustifolia) and skunkbush sumac (Rhus aromatica) are valuable shrubs for providing shade and brood-rearing cover as well. Display grounds, or leks, are established in open areas of low-growing vegetation and generally are located within or close to grassland nesting cover. Adequate cover is among the greatest factors affecting lesser prairie-chicken populations, and the continued loss of shrub/grassland habitat remains the greatest threat to the lesser prairie chicken’s future. Preserving these shrub/grassland communities and properly managing rangelands can help landowners boost local lesser prairie-chicken populations, as well as populations of other species that rely on similar habitat.

Food
The lesser prairie-chicken’s diet consists of insects, seeds, and leaves, catkins, and buds of forbs (broad-leaved plants) and cultivated crops. Juveniles less than 10 weeks old feed primarily on insects such as short-and long-horned grasshoppers and beetles; however leafhoppers and other smaller insects are eaten in the initial weeks following hatching. Within shinnery oak/grassland habitat, insects make up more than half of the spring and summer diet of adult lesser prairie-chickens. Sand sage leaves and buds and various forbs are consumed in spring and summer as well. Seeds are primary foods in autumn, supplemented with vegetative matter and insects. Shinnery oak acorns, sage leaves, wild buckwheat, rye and seeds from native wild plants, fruits, and flowers are eaten in winter months. Lesser prairie-chickens will eat corn, oats, wheat, rye, grain sorghum, and other small grain crops left as waste grain after harvest, or left standing as a food plot.

Cover – Breeding
Display grounds (leks) used for breeding are characterized by low-growing vegetation on open ground. In grassland communities, elevated knolls or ridges with flat surfaces often serve as leks. Grazed rangelands, agricultural fields, prairie dog towns, and other open areas where vegetation height is short in spring are also used. Human disturbances such as roads, oil pads, and bare areas resulting from herbicide treatments have also been used as leks.

Cover – Nesting and Brood-rearing
Nesting and brood-rearing cover for lesser prairie-chicken consists of grassland dominated by sand bluestem, sand dropseed, side oats grama, and little bluestem, interspersed with sand sagebrush, sand plum, skunkbush sumac, and shinnery oak shrubs. Dense tall grasses growing in clumps, or mottes, varying from 3 to 10 feet in diameter are best for nesting lesser prairie-chickens; thick stands of even-growth vegetation do not. Females scratch shallow, bowl-shaped depressions in the soil and line them with dried grasses, leaves, and feathers to serve as nests. Ideal nesting habitat consists of an interspersion of 65 percent grassy mottes, 20 to 30 percent shrubs, and 5 to 15 percent forbs, with grasses and shrubs averaging at least 20 inches in height. Present-day range conditions rarely meet these conditions, however. Rangelands with taller grass species in good range condition can still be valuable to lesser prairie-chickens with a lesser shrub component. Tall grass in good condition is more important for nesting cover than the condition of the shrub component. Nesting sites are frequently established on north or northeast facing slopes to reduce exposure to southwest winds and direct sunlight, and are usually located one to two miles from the nearest lek.

Where grass condition seems to dictate the quality of nesting cover, existence of shrubs and forbs is more important for good brood-rearing cover. Ideal brood-rearing cover consists of an interspersion of 40 to 45 percent sand sagebrush, sand plum, and shinnery oak; 40 to 45 percent of short- to medium-height grasses; and 15 to 20 percent forbs containing a high insect abundance. In areas where lesser prairie-chickens are present, proper grazing management practices that provide various stages of plant succession can help increase nesting and brood-rearing cover quality. Vegetation communities within two miles of active leks should be managed for optimal nesting and brood-rearing habitat.

Cover – Winter
Winter habitat requirements for lesser prairie-chickens differ little from nesting, brood-rearing, and summer cover types. Short- to medium-height grasslands comprised of sand dropseed, side oats grama, sand bluestem, and little bluestem interspersed with shinnery oak, sand plum, skunkbush sumac, or sand sagebrush are used as winter cover by lesser prairie-chickens. Grain fields near high range condition grassland/shrubland cover are used for foraging in winter months. Due to the varying winter temperatures within the five states supporting lesser prairie-chicken populations, availability of common food sources (especially insects) may differ, but cover requirements are similar.

Water
Daily foraging activities and the types of foods eaten provide lesser prairie-chickens with an adequate amount of water. However, birds will use open water during droughts when available in close proximity to sufficient cover.

Interspersion of Habitat Components
Ideal interspersion of lesser prairie-chicken habitat components consists of a complex of sand sagebrush, sand plum, skunkbush sumac, and shinnery oak shrubs and sand dropseed, side oats grama, sand bluestem, and little bluestem grasses growing in various stages of development on open rangelands with flat surfaces. In order for successful lesser prairie-chicken reproduction and survival to occur, all required habitat components must be available in relatively close proximity to one another (within 2-4 mi²). For example, the highest-quality nesting habitat is of little use if the nearest open foraging habitat is not close by. Distribution and interspersion of food and cover in the form of varying habitats determines whether or not an area can support a lesser prairie-chicken population and the number of individuals in a population.

Minimum Habitat Area
The minimum land area needed to maintain a breeding population of lesser prairie-chickens is an area of prime nesting and brood-rearing cover approximately two-square miles (1,280 acres) in size, surrounded by a minimum of 10,000 acres of feeding and loafing habitat. Complexes of suitable lesser prairie chicken habitat of up to 25,000 acres provide optimum conditions for maintaining populations. While smaller parcels by themselves may not provide the area needed, each contributes to the mosaic of larger habitat blocks that do meet minimum habitat size requirements. Although typically not a limiting factor on rangelands due to cattle grazing patterns, lek areas created through active habitat management efforts should be at least 50 yards in diameter per 15 males and located on higher ground with little or no shrub cover.

Lesser Prairie-Chicken Habitat Requirements Summary Table.

Limiting Factors
For planning purposes, subjectively rate the availability and quality of lesser prairie-chicken habitat within a planning area, based on the above habitat requirements descriptions. Habitat communities and components that are absent or rated low are likely limiting lesser prairie-chicken habitat quality. Land uses on adjacent properties may need to be considered to accurately rate the quality of a planning area as lesser prairie-chicken habitat.

Management Prescriptions
Management treatments should address the habitat components that most limit lesser prairie-chicken habitat potential. For planning purposes, select among the possible actions listed below to raise the quality or availability of each habitat component determined to be limiting. NRCS Conservation Practices and various programs that may provide financial or technical assistance to carry out specific management practices are listed where applicable.

NRCS Conservation Practices that may be useful in undertaking the above management actions.

Landowners interested in making their individual efforts more valuable to the community can work with the Wildlife Habitat Council and NRCS to involve school, scout, and community groups and their families, as well as state and federal fish and wildlife agency personnel, in habitat projects when possible. On-site education programs demonstrating the necessity of lesser prairie-chicken habitat management can greatly increase the value of your individual lesser prairie-chicken management project as well. Corporate landowners should encourage interested employees to become involved.