Greater Prairie Chicken Male on Lek
by Dave Showalter
Upland Ground Birds
Keywords: greater prairie chicken, Wray, Colorado shortgrass prairie, grassland, Great Plains
A male greater prairie chicken puffs his air sacks during courtship bahavior on the lek, or mating grounds. April is mating season on Colorado's shortgrass prairie. These birds were severely threatened in the 1980's and have rebounded to a strong population in northeast Colorado, near the town of Wray. Habitat loss and fragmentation has restricted the recovery to a small area, well short of their historic range. The prairie chickens draw birders and
eco-tourists from around the world.
Image Format: Digital Capture - Greater than 9MPImage Crop: Full FrameDigital Enhancement: Digital RetouchModel Release: NAProperty Release: NACaptive: No
