ABSTRACT
Abstract. North American prairies have experienced nearly two centuries of rapid change driven by anthropogenic actions. Change has progressed from loss of natural ecological drivers, extirpation of native grazers, institution of unmanaged or poorly managed domestic livestock grazing, suppression of natural fire, conversion of prairie to cropland, facilitation of invasive plant and animal species, increased settlement and associated infrastructure development, depletion of surface and groundwater stores, and, more recently, to the expansion of energy exploration and development. Ongoing actions have resulted in once contiguous prairie lands transitioning from fragmented, to degraded, and then outright loss. A consequence of the conversion and loss of prairie grasslands is the rapid decline in many grassland obligate bird populations. Prairie grouse (Tympanuchus spp.) in
particular have experienced dramatic declines in abundance and range. Most recently, substantial conservation attention has centered on the Lesser Prairie-Chicken (T. pallidicinctus), which is the focus of this volume of Studies in Avian Biology. The recent listing of Lesser Prairie-Chickens for federal protection as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act makes our summary volume on the ecology, conservation, and management of the species a timely contribution to the literature. Here, we provide a brief introduction to the Lesser Prairie-Chicken that will provide a foundation for the more detailed information provided in the following chapters of this volume.
