The Attwater’s Prairie Chicken is possibly the most endangered bird in North America. There are more whooping cranes than Attwater’s. Only by restocking protecting and restoring habitats with captive bred birds can this species survive in the wild.

In 1900 there were thought to be a million Attwater's on six million acres of coastal prairie.  Mainly due to overhunting and loss of habitat, they became extinct in Louisiana in 1919.  Their numbers declined rapidly in Texas and they were listed as endangered in 1967.  Today in Texas there are about 50 Attwater's in the wild, with less than 1% of the original coastal prairie remaining.  Native coastal prairie is different than regular prairie because it consists of unique grasses, such as, switchgrass, indiangrass, big bluestem, Texas grama and little bluestem.  This endangered ecosystem is on the brink of being wiped off the face of the earth as most have been converted to farmland.  Habitat fragmentation has left some remaining prairie patches too small to be useful to the birds.  This and the introduction of imported plants, has created favorable conditions for many prairie chicken predators. One such plant is the McCartney Rose, an exotic species from India. This dense bush provides great habitat and protection for skunks, so they are thriving – more skunks mean fewer Attwater's Prairie Chickens.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service directs the recovery program for the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken  and works with Texas Parks and Wildlife, universities and several zoos in Texas in this cooperative captive program.

This collective effort is directed at breeding Attwater's to maintain a viable captive population while at the same time providing birds for release to supplement and increase the small remaining wild population.

In 1992, as part of a comprehensive recovery plan for the species, we initiated a captive breeding program at Fossil Rim and the first chicks were born here that year.  This work has been crucial in preventing Attwater's extinction.

Fossil Rim houses several breeding pairs and has contributed over half of the total Attwater's released into the wild since 1992.  There are three parcels of ground containing wild Attwater's, the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge near Eagle Lake, Nature Conservancy of Texas' Galveston Bay Prairie Preserve near Texas City and a private rancher in Goliad County who is working with TPW. Unfortunately, at this time, even with 5 facilities breeding Attwater's, we are unable to do more than maintain the wild population of about 50 birds.  Only half of all adult Attwater's in the wild survive from one year to the next.

Sioux Indians developed a dance that mimics the gestures made by the male birds during their mating ritual.  This courtship display called "booming" takes place on display grounds called leks, which may be naturally occurring short grass flats or artificially maintained areas such as roads, airport runways or oil well pads.  Males gather on the leks in late January to attract the females by strutting & calling.  Breeding begins in February, peaks in March and ends in May.  The male stretches his neck forward parallel to the ground with neck tufts pointing forward like horns.  The tail is held vertically and the wings are extended downward and held firmly against the body and legs.  A short run forward is followed by vigorous stamping of the feet which lasts for only a few moments, but which under favorable conditions is distinctly audible for fifty feet or more.  Inflation of the yellow air sacs (really only one sac with two lateral portions) is synchronized with the stamping.  The first syllable of the booming is given before the stamping ends.  The male quickly jerking his head downward as he begins the call and keeping it there until the sac is deflated.  In the perfect world the females would be watching and would have many males to choose from instead of the genetically correct computer blind date she is assigned in the captive situation. After the courtship period ends, the male loses his bright coloring and acquires the camouflage colors of the female until the next mating season.  While the males continue their courtship performances, the females select the nest site, lay, incubate and hatch her eggs, and rear the young chicks alone.  Chicks leave the nest and follow the hen around shortly after hatching, never to return to the nest.  The hen does not feed the chicks but takes them to safe feeding areas where they can find insects and soft, tender petals and grass shoots.  The hen also provides them a mobile, warm and dry place in which to seek shelter.  The chicks are able to fly short distances by the age of 10 days.  Chicks stay with the hen for 4-6 weeks.

Attwater's Prairie Chicken

Tympanuchus cupido attwateri