Greater prairie-chicken Tympanuchus cupido

Identification Tips:

• Length: 14 inches
• Sexes similar
• Medium-sized, stocky, round-winged, chicken-like bird
• Short, rounded, dark tail
• Buff plumage barred extensively about breast, back, wings and belly with darker bars

Adult male:

• Yellow-orange comb over eye
• Dark, elongated head feathers can be raised or lain along neck
• Circular, orange unfeathered neck patch inflated when displaying

Adult female:

• Shorter head feathers and lacks yellow comb and orange neck patch

Similar species:

Lesser Prarie-Chicken is very similar but has pinkish and differently-shaped neck patch and generally paler plumage with more finely barred flanks. The two species almost never overlap in range and habitat. Sharp-tailed Grouse lacks barring on the underparts and has a longer, pointed tail with white outer tail feathers.

Length and wingspan from: Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc.