ABC's Bird of the Week - Lesser Prairie-Chicken

Trouble viewing this email? View as a webpage here Bird of the Week Lesser Prairie-Chicken This smaller, lighter-colored cousin of the Greater Prairie-Chicken has declined dramatically in recent decades, primarily due to habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation. It now occupies less than 15 percent of its historic range, and despite being a Candidate Species for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) since 1998, remains unlisted. The Lesser Prairie-Chicken prefers rather arid, mid-grass prairie of dwarf shrubs and mixed vegetation. Males display on leks (courtship grounds) of up to 40 birds in the spring; nesting females require a canopy of grasses for successful nesting and raising young. This habitat has been increasingly whittled away by overgrazing, drought, and oil and gas development, which continue to place remaining habitats for this species at risk. The clearing of land for wind development poses a significant new threat, since these birds will not tolerate habitat disturbance near lekking and nesting areas. Legislation introduced as an add-on to the most recent round of budget bills tried to place a moratorium on new Endangered Species Act listings, which would have prevented the Lesser Prairie-Chicken from ever gaining ESA protection, but it was defeated following a public outcry and action by ABC and other groups. However, the Lesser Prairie-Chicken is now facing another, more specifically targeted amendment aimed at blocking its listing, which could be considered by Congress later this year. To help conserve this and other declining U.S. bird species, click here!   Photo: Lesser Prairie-Chicken by Noppadol Paothong; Range Map by ABC

Don't forget to join ABC on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and check out the ABC blog                      Plus... Free Ways to Help American Bird Conservancy Raise Much-Needed Funds: every time you shop at any of 700+ online stores in the iGive network, a portion of the money you spend benefits American Bird Conservancy. It's a free service, and you'll never pay more when you reach a store through iGive. In fact, smart shoppers will enjoy iGive's repository of coupons, free shipping deals, and sales. To get started, just create your free iGive account<. And when you search the web, do it through iSearchiGive.com where each search means a penny (or more!) for our cause! Start iGiving at: www.iGive.com/abcbirds & www.iSearchiGive.com/abcbirds

American Bird Conservancy is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that conserves native birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. Click here to unsubscribe from BirdWire