A little smaller and paler than the Greater Prairie-Chicken, the Lesser Prairie-Chicken is a grouse adapted to arid short-grass regions of the southern Great Plains.

At one time it was abundant, but it has declined seriously. Since formal nationwide bird monitoring began in the 1960s, Lesser Prairie Chicken populations have declined by 97 percent across their range. This decline is one of the most precipitous among all bird life in the U.S. and will ultimately lead to extinction if not addressed.

Thanks to the efforts of Audubon Southwest and our grassroots network of advocates, on November 17, 2022, the US Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Lesser Prairie-Chicken under the Endangered Species Act. These protections will not only help the bird, but the people who share its rangeland.

Through our Working Lands strategy, Audubon Southwest has worked to protect this bird, and restore and conserve the habitat it uses.

Our efforts to protect the Lesser Prairie-Chicken: