Prairie Chickens face many problems, and I will tell you about some.
Settlers cleared the prairie chickens' land for farming. The prairie soil
was very rich, and developed over hundreds of years.
The loss of habitat for prairie chickens is one of the main reasons that
prairie chickens are endangered in Illinois. Once, Illinois was covered
with prairie grass. There were about 21 to 22 million acres in 1820. The
prairies were lost to farming and the growth of cities and towns.
In 1990, low Illinois populations of prairie chickens led to inbreeding
problems.
All kinds of predators eat prairie chickens' eggs, especially opossums,
raccoons, and skunks. Fifty percent of the prairie chickens' nests are destroyed
by predators.
Pheasants often lay
eggs in the prairie chickens' nests. Pheasants' eggs hatch quicker than
prairie chickens'. The prairie chicken hens often abandon their own eggs
to raise pheasant chicks instead.
