Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 16.9 in
43 cm - Weight
- 24.7–42.3 oz
700–1200 g
Other Names
- Poule des prairies (French)
Cool Facts
- The extinct Heath Hen was a distinct subspecies of the Greater Prairie-Chicken that was found in the scrub oakland and fire-created blueberry barrens of the East Coast. The last Heath Hens were confined to the island of Martha's Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts, where they went extinct in 1932.
Habitat
Grassland
Open prairie and oak savannah.
Food
Seeds
Leaves, seeds, buds, cultivated grains, and insects.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Condition at Hatching
- Downy and able to follow mother.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Ground Forager
Multiple males display at group display site, known as a lek.
Conservation
Vulnerable
Eastern subspecies, known as the Heath Hen, went extinct in 1932. The Texas form, the Attwater's Prairie-Chicken is critically endangered and at severe risk of extinction.
Credits
- Schroeder, M. A. and L. A. Robb. 1993. Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido). In The Birds of North America, No. 36 (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, DC: The American Ornithologists' Union.