We conducted a 3-year study of helminth parasites to assess their effect on the lesser prairie-chicken Tympanuchus pallidicinctus. Helminth parasites were found in most of the examined wild prairie chicken carcasses: 95% had eye worm Oxyspirura petrowi, 92% had stomach worm Tetrameres sp., and 59% had caecal worm Subulura sp....
We used mark-recapture methods to estimate age-specific apparent survival rates for male Lesser Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus), a gamebird of conservation concern. A total of 311 male prairie-chickens (135 yearlings, 176 adults) were captured and banded during a 5-year study in southwest Kansas. Time-since-marking models were used to estimate apparent survival...
The ability to ascertain gender and age of juvenile grouse is essential for determining gender-specific population age structure and studying timing of reproductive events, respectively. We examined outer rectrix feathers from juvenile Lesser Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) captured at 30–40 and 50–60 days post-hatching. Blood samples were collected from most chicks...
Invertebrates are an important food source for grouse chicks, especially within the first 2 weeks of life. Invertebrate abundance is highly patchy and dependent upon herbaceous cover and vegetation structure. We examined the relationship between invertebrate biomass (from sweepnet samples) and habitat structure at lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) brood-use and...
We conducted this 2-year study to determine if lesser prairie-chickens Tympanuchus pallidicinctus and ring-necked pheasants Phasianus colchicus used the same habitats where their ranges overlapped in southwestern Kansas. Telemetry locations of 50 transmitter-equipped lesser prairie-chickens and 28 pheasants were used to monitor habitat use by the two species. Additionally, vegetation...