WildEarth Guardians

Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Lesser Prairie-chicken: The Sky Really is Falling - A WildEarth Guardians Report

A WildEarth Guardians report, "Lesser Prairie-Chicken: The Sky Really is Falling," documents continued declines and threats against the critically imperiled bird throughout its five-state range in Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Contact: WildEarth Guardians

The continued decline of the bird’s population throughout its five-state territory also adds greater urgency to list the Lesser Prairie-chicken. The report declines in all five states in the prairie-chicken’s range, and a new threat - hybridization with greater prairie-chickens - in Kansas. When the lesser prairie-chicken was determined to warrant listing in 1998, the Service acknowledged that this grouse species occupied less than 10% of its former range. Population declines and further range reduction have continued over the past five years.

For the Lesser Prairie-chicken the Sky Really is Falling - Read the Report 11/04 (PDF) (1.8 MB)