Tympanuchus
Tail chicken
The prairie chickens ( Tympanuchus ) are a species of bird from the family of pheasant -like ( Phasianidae ), which belongs to the order Galliformes ( Galliformes ). Three species to the genus nowadays generally expected that only occur in North America. The extinct heath hen considered as a subspecies of prairie chicken, one of the species of this genus.
All three species belong to the rather small grouse and reach a body length of 40-43 centimeters. They live in North America different types of prairie. They are known for their elaborated courtship behavior. The males gather in leks, where they shout and dance with just outstretched necks and tails spread to the females. The air bags on the neck are inflated far.
The holdings vary greatly reduced. The prairie chicken came once before in North America, the numbers have been reduced to just 1 % by hunting and application of pasture and arable land. Today, it lives only in the central United States in the states of Nebraska, Oklahoma and South Dakota, where it competes with the suspended pheasant. The males stay in the winter at their leks, females migrate to the south.
Species
The following types are among the prairie chickens:
- Tail chicken, Tympanuchus phasianellus Northern North America
- Prairie chicken, Tympanuchus cupido, central USA
- Small prairie chicken, Tympanuchus pallidicinctus, south-central United States