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Tympanuchus cupido
Endangered or Threatened Species depending on where they are located. The male can be seen in photos 1, 2, 4 and 5 The female can be seen in the third photo.
Photos 4, and 5 show two males fighting for the right to hold or take the ground beneath them which they feel is the best place on the booming grounds, and will give them the best chance to breed the female or females that come to their booming grounds. Please read my links, as they are far more informative then I am on this subject.
58 Comments (1–25)
Great series!
Beautiful bird and picture williefromwi =)
And yet another link this also from youtube. This video from my home State of Wisconsin http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=...
Another Link showing two males fighting for the right to control their place on the booming grounds ( mating grounds). Video from youtube shot in Kansas. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwHdjwmqP...
Thank you Lori, and because they do everything Big in Texas. A BIG BACKSLAPPING THANK YOU TO YOU GATORFELLOWS for sharing this link which I intend to watch as soon as I am done posting my comment back. I spent 20 hours watching these the mating rituals of these birds on three separate days this spring. I so want them to thrive and survive and of course I am interested to learn what is doing in your State to protect them. There is cooperation here in grasslands in the middle of our State of Wisconsin. Farmers, landowners, businesses and government are all working together to try to help this bird thrive. The numbers here from what I have been told are steady to slightly growing.
Excellent.
Thought you might be interested in what is being done here in Texas. We have The Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge and our Texas Parks and Wildlife has a program to try to help them from going extinct. The official video about the project is on YouTube; The Last Dance: Saving the Attwater's prairie-chicken - Texas Parks and Wildlife [Official] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyIOPXsm_...
Thank you Ritsuka, Gylma, and Mark for your kind words, and taking the time to comment on this spotting. Sad to say most people will never get to see one of these birds in the wild.
Beautiful shots, and such a beautiful bird.
Beautiful, stunning bird.
Great spotting Willie - Maybe we should stop calling it chicken now.
I think so too Emma, they are precious because they are beautiful and they are precious because there are so very few of these birds left in the world.
These are precious!
Some information about this spotting, it was reported to me by someone in Canada, and I have confirmed it via the web, that this species is now considered extirpated from Canada. The Greater Prairie-Chicken has vanished from Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta. There may or may not be any in Saskatchewan. There is reason to doubt that there are any of these birds left in all or at least most of Canada.
Ashish, and Julio, I certainly understand that you are not able to make a spotting of this species in your country. The challenge goes out to those in my part of the world. I can find quite a few photos that people have taken on sights I will not name. If you have one why not share it with all of us on Project Noah?
Lovely idea Willie... Wish this bird find in India to accept your challenge......
wow,,
Nearly 300,000 spottings and this is still the only spotting of Tympanuchus cupido on this sight! I know that they are endangered and have a very limited range of habitat where they can be found, but I am shocked that there is not at least one other spotting by now.
Thanks Reza, Johan, Susan, and Rob for your wonderful comments.
You've done it again....great find and great series !
Very nice. Thanks for sharing!!
OH WOW...this is the hardest bird to spot here in TX and you did it so magnificently...PRAVO!!!
Thank you HemantKumar.
stunning
Thank you tibiprada, I enjoyed seeing these unusual and endangered birds so much, I spent a portion of three days watching their mating rituals, and getting some photos of my spottings. Perhaps in time I will post a few more. I have a picture of two males fighting that is one of my favorite captures, and I may at some point share it with everyone here.