Colorado

Prairie-chicken flights planned in SE Colorado

Biologists with Western EcoSystem Technology, Inc. (WEST, Inc.) are working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and four other state wildlife agencies to conduct low-elevation helicopter flights that will develop a range-wide, multi-state estimate of lesser prairie-chicken populations. The surveys are part of a collaborative effort by Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico and Texas to keep the lesser prairie-chicken off the federal Endangered Species List.
“While Colorado has only a small portion of the lesser prairie-chicken range, we understand the key role that we play in assessing the bird’s overall health,” said Mike King, Director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. “Our goal is to make sure that sufficient data exists to work with local partners and recover these birds. By working with private landowners and communities, we can recover the birds and try to prevent the need for a federal listing.”
Local landowners in Baca, Prowers, Cheyenne and Kiowa counties are advised that low-elevation helicopter flights may occur between Sunday, April 1 and Saturday, April 7.
“Helicopter flights have proven an efficient means to survey large areas for this type of population estimate,” said Brian Dreher, Senior Terrestrial Biologist for the southeast region of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “The work should be quick and landowners shouldn’t experience any disruption to their regular activities.”
While Colorado’s survey work is limited to small areas of the four counties, crews are also working to survey much of the entire state of Kansas and large portions of Oklahoma. Those states are home to the core populations of the lesser prairie-chicken.
The lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicintus) is a prairie grouse species that is found in the sandy, short grass, prairie regions of Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas and Colorado. It is slightly smaller than its cousin, the greater prairie-chicken. Like sage-grouse, both species of prairie-chicken are known and popular among birders for their elaborate dancing and drumming behavior around breeding areas, commonly called leks. The bird is listed by the state of Colorado as a threatened species and is a candidate species for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act.
Landowners with questions about the birds or the flights can contact Travis Black, Area Wildlife Manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife in Lamar at 719-336-6600 or Brian Dreher, Senior Terrestrial Biologist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife in Colorado Springs at 719-227-5220.
Additional information about lesser prairie-chickens can be found online at http://wildlife.state.co.us/WildlifeSpecies/Profiles/Birds/Pages/LesserPrairieChicken.aspx.

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