Introductory
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Tympanuchus spp. | Prairie-Chickens 



ABBREVIATION : 
TYMP

COMMON NAMES : 
   prairie-chickens
   greater prairie-chicken
   lesser prairie-chicken
   Attwater's prairie-chicken
   heath hen


TAXONOMY : 
The currently accepted scientific name for the greater prairie-chicken
is Tympanuchus cupido (Linnaeus).  The scientific name for the lesser
prairie-chicken is Tympanuchus pallidicinctus (Ridgway).  Some authors
consider the lesser prairie-chicken a subspecies of the greater prairie-
chicken, while other authors consider them distinct species [1,11].
This report will cover both and treat them as separate species.

The typical subspecies of greater prairie-chicken is extinct.  There are
two extant subspecies [1,11]:

        T. cupido ssp. pinnatus (Brewster)
        T. cupido ssp. attwateri Bendirei   Attwater's prairie-chicken

Prairie-chickens hybridize with sharp-tailed grouse (T. phasianellus) [12].


ORDER : 
Galliformes

CLASS : 
Bird

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
Attwater's prairie-chicken is listed as endangered.
The lesser prairie-chicken is listed as a Category 1 species.

OTHER STATUS : 
Attwater's prairie-chicken (T. c. ssp. attwateri) is endangered
throughout its very isolated range in Texas [27,28].  Captive breeding
programs have been established to enhance wild populations [28].

The greater prairie-chicken is listed as endangered in Illinois [32].
T. c. ssp. pinnatus is listed as extirpated in Alberta, Manitoba,
Ontario, and Saskatechewan [33].


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
S. A. Snyder, May 1992


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
NO-ENTRY


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
Snyder, S. A. 1992. Tympanachus spp. In: Remainder of Citation

Related categories for Wildlife Species: Tympanuchus spp. | Prairie-Chickens