Scott Simpson is talking to third and fourth grade classes about prairie chickens
and the Illinois prairie.
By Marissa H.
Prairie chickens are an endangered species in Illinois. They are an endangered species because of the loss of habitat. In 1850 to 1860, there used to be 10 to 14 million prairie chickens in Illinois. Around 1990, only about 40 prairie chickens were left in Illinois.
Prairie chickens can fly like ducks. They can fly up to 50 miles per hour. Some prairie chickens get killed by flying really, really fast into power lines. They flap and glide to fly.
Fifty percent of the prairie chickens die each year. The reproduction of prairie chickens is very important. They still have hunting seasons on prairie chickens in Kansas and Oklahoma. Now there are about 70 males on the booming grounds in Jasper County, and it is assumed that there are about 70 females also. That makes about 140 prairie chickens. People are reintroducing prairie chickens from other states to boost genetics.
Prairie chickens do not mate for all of their lives. Illinois prairie chickens are called "greater prairie chickens." Their scientific name is "tympanuchus cupido." Illinois has the farthest eastern population of prairie chickens in the United States.
People cannot tell the difference between Illinois prairie chickens and greater prairie chickens from other states. People can identify individual birds by the different patterns of white on their tails. Prairie chickens are grassland birds. They are brown, and the upper part of their bodies are striped with dark brown and tan. Also, there are blackish pinnate feathers on the sides of the necks in male and female prairie chickens.
Prairie chickens eat insects like grasshoppers, ants, and leafhoppers. They only live 2 to 3 years, so reproduction is very important. Prairie chickens weigh 2 to 3 pounds. They grow to be 16 to 18 inches long.
Prairie chickens are able to snow roost, which enables them to keep out of cold winds. This works like an igloo and in the mornings, they can burst out of the snow. Prairie chickens have pectinate feet, which means that they have skin on their feet that helps them when walking in the snow, like snowshoes. Prairie chickens have feathered legs all the way to their toes that keeps them warm in the winter. Prairie chickens also live in Kansas, South Dakota, and Nebraska which have cold, harsh, and windy winters.
