Prairie Chicken Dance

by Judi Dressler

Title

Prairie Chicken Dance

Artist

Judi Dressler

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

It was spring time, and the male Greater Prairie Chickens were wooing the females with their amazing mating dance before dawn. I could hear the booming outside my tent in the half dark, before I was able to make out the shapes of the birds. As the light got brighter, I could see some of the male birds inflate orange air sacs on either side of their necks, then bob up and down, stamp the ground a bunch of times, and emit loud booming noises. What a thrill it was to get to see this! The one in this image is doing his stamping dance.

Loss of habitat is the single greatest threat to remaining populations in of these birds.

From Wikipedia: "This North American species was once abundant, but has become extremely rare and extirpated over much of its range due to habitat loss. Conservation measures are underway to ensure the sustainability of existing small populations. One of the most famous aspects of these creatures is the mating ritual called booming. Greater prairie chickens prefer undisturbed prairie and were originally found in tall grass prairies. They can tolerate agricultural land mixed with prairie, but fewer prairie chickens are found in areas that are more agricultural."

Photo taken on April 24, 2017

Descriptive tags and keywords for this image include prairie chickens, greater prairie chicken, grouse, game, birds, lek, dances, mating, courting, dancing, booming, stamping, displaying, love, air sacs, ritual, habitat loss, chicken, display, wild, wildlife, tympanuchus cupido, tympanuchus, colorado, wray, colorful, orange, photo, photograph, photography, judi dressler, and dressler.

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February 24th, 2018

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