Attwaters Prairie-Chicken

Caption

Holding their tails erect and wings drooped, they inflate their air sacs, then drop their heads to deflate the sacs with a low sounding "whur-ru-rrr" while stomping their feet extremely fast.

Photo: © Nappadal Paothong

The Attwater's measure about 17-18 inches with a wingspan of about 28 inches. They weigh between 1-2 pounds.

Photo: © Nappadal Paothong

The hen lays a dozen eggs and if she’s lucky, they will hatch about 26 days later. Only some 30 percent of all nests escape predators that include opossums, skunks, raccoons, coyotes, snakes, and domestic dogs and cats.

Photo: © Greg Lavaty

Chicks stay with the hen for at least six weeks, dining mostly on nutritious insects. As the chicks grow older, they join the adults in pecking the leaves, flowers, and seeds of prairie plants in addition to insects.

Photo: © Greg Lavaty

Newly hatched chicks depend on small insects for their survival

Photo: USFWS

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Attwater's Prairie-Chicken View photos of the endangered Attwater's Prairie Chicken (1.2 MB)

Last Updated: Jan 15, 2013

What We Do

Attwater's Prairie-Chicken

More than a century ago, up to one million Attwater’s prairie-chickens graced the coastal prairies of Texas and Louisiana. Each spring, males gathered to perform an elaborate courtship ritual. They inflated their yellow air sacs and emitted a strange, booming sound across a sea of grasses.

Learn more

Attwater Prairie ChickenNational Wildlife Refuge | Texas

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What We Do

Attwater's Prairie-Chicken

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

National Wildlife Refuge System

Department of the Interior

USA.gov