[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ater this month, I will drive over to the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge near Eagle Lake to see some wild early-morning dancing.
The dancing will be done by male prairie chickens desperate to attract a mate. Based on past visits to the refuge, the females will generally strut around and leave most of the males sorely disappointed. But evidently, the system works because we still have prairie chickens.
I’ll quote directly from notes sent to me on the proposed trip: “Attwater’s prairie chicken (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri) is a grouse that is unique to Texas and Louisiana gulf coast areas. For male prairie chickens, a lek is their stage. Here, they perform each morning from February through mid-May. Holding their tails erect and wings drooped, they inflate their air sacs, then drop their heads to deflate the sacs with a low-sounding ‘whur-ru-rr’ while stomping their feet extremely fast. Jumps and charges at other males are interspersed throughout this booming activity. It’s hard work to attract a mate.”
An endangered species, the Attwater’s prairie chicken puts on one of nature’s greatest spectacles. I hope it goes on for many more years.
