COSEWIC assessment and update status report on Greater Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus cupido in Canada 2000

  1. Table of Contents
  2. Assessment Summary
  3. Executive Summary from the 1978 and 1990 Status Report
  4. Abstract
  5. Introduction
  6. Distribution and Numbers
  7. Recent Sightings
  8. Evaluation and Proposed Status
  9. Literature Cited
  10. Personal Communications

COSEWIC status reports are working documents used in assigning the status of wildlife species suspected of being at risk. This report may be cited as follows:

Please note: Persons wishing to cite data in the report should refer to the report (and cite the author(s)); persons wishing to cite the COSEWIC status will refer to the assessment (and cite COSEWIC). A production note will be provided if additional information on the status report history is required. COSEWIC 2000. COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the spotted wintergreen Chimaphila maculata in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vi + 6 pp.

COSEWIC 2000. COSEWIC assessment and update status report on Greater Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus cupido in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vi + 7 pp. (www.sararegistry.gc.ca/status/status_e.cfm)

Minish, B.R. 1990. Update COSEWIC status report on the Greater Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus cupido in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. 1-7 pp.

Previous reports:

Saskatchewan Department of Renewable Resources. 1978. COSEWIC status report on the Greater Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. 1-23 pp.

Production note:

Greater Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus cupido was previously designated as Greater Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus.

Please note that the status recommended in the section “Evaluation and Recommended Status” of the report may differ from the latest status assigned to the species by COSEWIC.

Également disponible en français sous le titre Évaluation et rapport de situation du COSEPAC sur le Tétras des prairies Tympanuchus cupido au Canada - Mise à jour.

Cover illustration:
Greater Prairie-Chicken -- Judie Shore, Richmond Hill, Ontario.

©Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, 2002
Catalogue No. CW69-14/113-2002E-IN
ISBN 0-662-31882-X

Common name : Greater Prairie-Chicken

Scientific name : Tympanuchus cupido

Status : Extirpated

Reason for designation : In the 19th and early 20th century, this species regularly bred on the Canadian Prairies. There are currently no breeding populations, nor are there regular occurences of this species in Canada. Habitat loss is the primary cause for its extirpation.

Occurrence : Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario.

Status history : Last reported in 1987. Designated Endangered in April 1978. Status re-examined and designated Extirpated in April 1990. Status examined and confirmed in May 2000. Last assessment based on an existing status report.

The greater prairie-chicken is thought to occur in North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin, south to Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, west to Colorado and east to Wisconsin and Illinois. In Canada, the distribution of the greater prairie-chicken is thought to be negligible. There is a small chance that a few greater prairie-chickens may still be present in southwestern Saskatchewan but there have been no confirmed sightings in this province since the mid-1970’s. In Manitoba, the species has not been seen since the early 1950’s and it is assumed to be extirpated from the province. In Alberta, the greater prairie-chicken disappeared from the province in the 1920’s. Similarly, the species has not been sighted in Ontario since 1959. Again the greater prairie-chicken has likely disappeared from this province as well. It is worth noting that three sightings of the species were recorded in Saskatchewan in the mid 1980's, as was one sighting of a greater prairie-chicken hybrid. Further surveys did not locate the species and the hybrid is now thought to be a sage grouse x sharp-tailed grouse hybrid.

The greater prairie-chicken occurs in a fragmented habitat. In the United States, its habitat is now composed of remnant grassland and some tame pastureland.

Information on the breeding biology of the greater prairie-chicken is not available for Canada. Within the United States, the birds begin nesting in April and in early May. Greater prairie-chickens build their nests in grass cover and the clutch size is on average 11 to 12. As well as high reproductive potential, the species possesses high annual mortality. In terms of movement, the greater prairie-chicken is thought to be mainly sedentary, although the species was considered to be somewhat migratory when feeding areas were once widely separated. It is noteworthy that the species was able to tolerate low levels of human activity and was also able to adapt to new food sources (e.g. small grains, corn and sorghum), as these became available through small-scale farming activities in the early part of the century.

Population size in Canada is not available as the species is thought to be extirpated from the country. The entire geographic range of the greater prairie-chicken has declined from its former extent. The greater prairie-chicken numbers continue to decline in those states adjacent to Canada where the species occurs.

Lack of the required extensive, ungrazed blocks of grassland appears to be the main limiting factor for the greater prairie-chicken.

The greater prairie-chicken is given status and protection under “The Game Act – 1967” as an upland game bird.

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) determines the national status of wild species, subspecies, varieties, and nationally significant populations that are considered to be at risk in Canada. Designations are made on all native species for the following taxonomic groups: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, lepidopterans, molluscs, vascular plants, lichens, and mosses.

COSEWIC comprises representatives from each provincial and territorial government wildlife agency, four federal agencies (Canadian Wildlife Service, Parks Canada Agency, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Federal Biosystematic Partnership), three nonjurisdictional members and the co-chairs of the species specialist groups. The committee meets to consider status reports on candidate species.

Species: Any indigenous species, subspecies, variety, or geographically defined population of wild fauna and flora.

Extinct (X) : A species that no longer exists.

Extirpated (XT) : A species no longer existing in the wild in Canada, but occurring elsewhere.

Endangered (E) : A species facing imminent extirpation or extinction.

Threatened (T) : A species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.

Special Concern (SC)* : A species of special concern because of characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.

Not at Risk (NAR)* : A species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk.

Data Deficient (DD)*** : A species for which there is insufficient scientific information to support status designation.

* : Formerly described as “Vulnerable” from 1990 to 1999, or “Rare” prior to 1990.

** : Formerly described as “Not In Any Category”, or “No Designation Required.”

*** : Formerly described as “Indeterminate” from 1994 to 1999 or “ISIBD” (insufficient scientific information on which to base a designation) prior to 1994.

The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) was created in 1977 as a result of a recommendation at the Federal-Provincial Wildlife Conference held in 1976. It arose from the need for a single, official, scientifically sound, national listing of wildlife species at risk. In 1978, COSEWIC designated its first species and produced its first list of Canadian species at risk. Species designated at meetings of the full committee are added to the list.

Environment Canada Environnement Canada

Canadian Wildlife Service Service canadien de la faune

The Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada, provides full administrative and financial support to the COSEWIC Secretariat.

The 1978 COSEWIC status report on Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) concluded that the species was endangered in Canada. Since that time, wildlife authorities in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario have concluded that the Greater Prairie-Chicken is extirpated in their respective provinces. Sightings of three Greater Prairie-Chickens and a Greater Prairie-Chicken hybrid were reported in Saskatchewan in the spring of 1987. However, a follow-up survey in 1988 did not locate any Greater Prairie-Chickens and consultation with several authorities on grouse species suggests that the hybrid was a Sage Grouse X Sharp-tailed Grouse.

As there is no evidence of a continuing population of this species in Canada, this report concludes with a recommendation of a status change for Greater Prairie-Chicken from endangered to extirpated.

A status report on Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) in Canada was prepared in 1978 (Saskatchewan Department of Tourism and Renewable Resources). The 1978 report noted a decline in critical habitat for the species and although the report listed the bird as endangered, it concluded that the Greater Prairie-Chicken was “extirpated in Canada practically speaking.” The report further concluded that, at that time, the potential still existed to preserve the species for future Canadians.

Details of distribution, protection, habitat requirements, general biology, movements, behaviour and limiting factors are given in the initial report. The current report summarizes information subsequent to the previous report and provides additional information not reported earlier.

Figure 1 presents an amalgamation of information given by Aldrich (1963) and Johnsgard and Wood (1968) regarding the original and acquired range of the Greater Prairie-Chicken.

Figure 1. Original and acquired range of the Greater Prairie-Chicken in North America (after Aldrich 1963 and Johnsgard and Wood 1968).

The entire geographic range of the Greater Prairie-Chicken has declined from its former extent. Figure 2 illustrates the range and estimated population of Greater Prairie-Chicken in 1979 (Westemeier 1980).

Figure 2. Range and estimated population of Greater Prairie-Chicken in 1979 (Westemeier 1980).

In those states adjacent to Canada where the Greater Prairie-Chicken is present, the numbers continue to decline. In North Dakota, counts of male Greater Prairie-Chickens have fallen from 407 in 1980 to 173 in 1986 (G. Kobringer pers. comm.). The number of male Greater Prairie-Chicken in Minnesota has fallen from 1258 in 1980 to 817 in 1985 with a corresponding drop in the number of booming grounds from 117 to 97 (D. Svedarsky pers. comm.).

The present distribution of Greater Prairie-Chicken in Canada is negligible. Although there is a remote possibility of a few individuals surviving in southwestern Saskatchewan, none are known to exist. There have been no confirmed sightings since the mid 1970’s (Moyles 1987). In Manitoba there has been no confirmed sighting of the Greater Prairie-Chicken since the early 1950’s and wildlife authorities in the province consider the species extirpated (Minish 1987). Lumsden (1987 and pers. comm.) states that the last sighting of a Greater Prairie-Chicken in Ontario was near Dryden in 1959 and that the Greater Prairie-Chicken has probably disappeared from Ontario.

Harris et al. (1987) reported the sighting of a female Greater Prairie-Chicken and a male Greater Prairie-Chicken hybrid during a spring census of Sage Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in southern Saskatchewan. They also reported the sighting of 3 male Greater Prairie-Chickens during a subsequent search of the area.

A spring census of the area in 1988 found 3 hybrids on the same Sage Grouse lek that the hybrid was sighted on in 1987. A fourth hybrid was also sighted on a Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) lek but no pure Greater Prairie-Chickens were sighted in the 1988 census (W. Harris pers. comm.).

The 1987 sightings were submitted with the legal land description and a detailed map indicating the location of the sightings. Unfortunately, no description was given of the birds identified in the report as Greater Prairie-Chicken.

The Harris et al. (1987) report contains two photographs of the hybrid male on the Sage Grouse lek. The report suggests that the bird is a Greater Prairie-Chicken X Sage Grouse hybrid. Although the photographs are taken from too great a distance to show much detail, a Sage Grouse X Sharp-tailed Grouse hybrid appears a more likely identification (R.H. Baydack and R.E. Jones pers. comm.).

A survey was conducted in the spring of 1988 to determine the number of Greater Prairie-Chicken in the area where the three Greater Prairie-Chicken and suspected hybrid were sighted in 1987 (Hjertaas 1988). No Greater Prairie-Chickens were located during the survey. Three hybrid grouse were located on Sage Grouse leks. Two of the hybrids were located at the same lek where the hybrid grouse was sighted in 1987 (Hjertaas 1988, Harris et al. 1987). Hjertaas (1988) states that these hybrid grouse appeared similar to a hybrid bird photographed on a Sharp-tailed Grouse lek suggesting that these birds could be Sharp-tail X Sage Grouse hybrids rather than Greater Prairie-Chicken X Sage Grouse hybrids.

The 1978 COSEWIC status report on Greater Prairie-chicken, although listing the species as endangered, concluded that the bird was extirpated from Canada practically speaking. Since that time wildlife authorities from Alberta (Moyles 1987), Manitoba (Minish 1987) and Ontario (H.G. Lumsden pers. comm.) considered the Greater Prairie-Chicken extirpated in their respective provinces. The report of a follow up survey conducted in southern Saskatchewan in the region where three Greater Prairie-Chicken and a possible Greater Prairie-Chicken hybrid were sighted in 1987 concluded that the species should be considered extirpated in Saskatchewan.

Since there does not appear to be any evidence in Canada of a population of Greater Prairie-Chicken, it is recommended that the status of this species in Canada be changed from endangered to extirpated.

Aldrich, J.W. 1963. Geographic orientation of North American Tetraonidae. J. Wildl. Manage. 27:529-545.

Harris, W. C.,D. A. Weidl and S.M. McAdam. 1987. Rediscovery of Greater Prairie-Chicken in southern Saskatchewan. Prairie Environmental Consultants unpublished report.

Hjertaas, D. 1988. Saskatchewan’s 1988 search for the Greater Prairie-chicken. Saskatchewan Parks, Recreation and Culture, Wildlife Branch unpublished report.

Johnsgard, P.A. and R.W. Wood. 1968. Distributional changes and interactions between Prairie chickens and Sharp-tailed Grouse in the midwest. Wilson Bull. 80:173-188.

Lumsden, H.G. 1987. in Cadman, M.D., P.F.J. Eagles and F. Helleiner. 1987. Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario. University of Waterloo Press. Waterloo p. 563.

Minish, B.R. 1987. The Greater Prairie-Chicken in Manitoba. pp. 223-225 in G.L. Holroyd, W.B. McGillivray, P.H. Stepney, D.M. Ealey, G. Trottier, and K.E. Eberhart, eds. Proc. of the Workshop on Endangered species in the Prairie Provinces. Prov. Museum of Alberta Natural History, Occasional Paper No. 9, Alberta Culture, Edmonton.

Moyles, D. 1987. The Greater Prairie-Chicken in Alberta. pp. 217-220 in G.L. Holroyd, W.B. McGillivray, P.H. Stepney, D.M. Ealey, G. Trottier, and K.E. Eberhart, eds. Proc. of the Workshop on Endangered species in the Prairie Provinces. Prov. Museum of Alberta Natural History, Occasional Paper No. 9, Alberta Culture, Edmonton.

Saskatchewan Dept. of Tourism and Renewable Resources. 1978. Status report on Great Prairie chicken Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus in Canada. COSEWIC, Ottawa.

Westemeier, R.L. 1980. Greater Prairie-Chicken status and management -- 1968-1979. pp. 8-17 in P.A. Wohs, Jr., and F.L. Knopf, eds. Proc. Prairie Grouse Symp., Oklahoma State University, Stillwater.

Baydack, R.K. Assistant Professor, Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg.

Jones, R.E. Wetland Habitat Specialist, Wildlife Branch, Manitoba Department of Natural Resources, Winnipeg.

Kobringer, G.D. Upland Game Management Supervisor, North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Dickinson.

Lumsden, H.G. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Maple.

Svedarsky, W.D. University of Minnesota, Crookston.

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