Greater prairie chicken  (Tympanuchus cupido)

The greater prairie chicken has undergone rapid population declines, and has already disappeared from a number of U.S. states in which it was formerly common (1). Loss of prairie habitat through conversion to cropland has posed the most significant threat to the species, and it was this that was primarily responsible for the extinction of the heath hen (T. c. cupido) (2). Additionally, the heath hen suffered from excessive hunting, fires, introduced foxes, feral cats and collection for museums (7). Attwater's prairie hen (T. c. attwateri) populations have also declined dramatically due to loss of habitat to farmland, over-grazing by cattle and urbanisation, with an estimated 97% loss of habitat within the bird's historic range and fewer than 60 birds remaining in 2003 (8). As habitat becomes increasingly fragmented, isolating populations, inbreeding and loss of genetic variance will reduce fitness and fertility, further contributing to the decline in numbers. Hunting of the greater prairie chicken continues legally in four states, and the species may also suffer from competition with the ring-necked pheasant, Phasianus colchicus (2).

Management efforts have so far focussed on manipulation of grazing pressure, control of burning, provision of thick vegetation for protective cover and establishment of reserves. Population reintroductions may be necessary to expand the bird's distribution, but so far such attempts have had mixed success. Legislation against hunting exists in most U.S. states but has not always been effective, with both the heath hen and the Attwater's prairie hen suffering badly from hunting pressure despite being protected. Removal of the ring-necked pheasant may reduce competition and is a potential initiative for the future (2). More contiguous habitat is desperately required to reconnect scattered, remnant populations. However, with the vast majority of flocks living on private land, their future unfortunately rests in the hands of the landowner (4). In Texas, efforts have therefore been made to provide information and incentives for landowners to manage their land for the benefit of the Attwater's prairie hen, with the help of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A captive breeding programme of the Attwater's prairie hen was also begun in 1993, which breeds individuals for release into the wild while concurrent efforts continue to increase the amount of habitat available to the subspecies (8). The success of these efforts remains to be seen. Indeed, with just over 200 skins and mounts in zoological collections being all that remains of the extinct heath hen (7), the fate of this subspecies acts as a powerful reminder of what faces the greater prairie chicken in the future if current efforts fail to protect it.