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Habitat RequirementsGreater prairie chickens have numerous habitat requirements. Of great importance is Leks, display grounds where males perform toattract females. The prairie chickens require that these areas be openand with only low-growing vegetation. There are numerous ways inwhich these requirements can be met. Locations such as grazedrangelands, oil pads and cultivated fields can all provide possible leks.(Ryan, 1998) The next habitat that greater prairie chickens require is fornesting. These areas must be made up of medium sized vegetationthat is able to provide shade and protection while still being openenough so that adults can see predators. This habitat is usuallycomposed of grasses reaching heights of 12”-15” tall but also avoidbeing over 31”. (
Kirsch, 1974
)Brood habitat, consisting of mainly open area where young of theyear can move around while still providing cover from predation is adeeply important element of the habitat requirements. This is due tohigh mortality among young greater prairie chickens. In most areasbrood habitat is made up of areas with recent disturbance such asgrazed native prairie.It has been shown that increased energy expenditure in attemptsto find food is a major source of increased mortality for prairie chickensin the winter months. It is for this purpose that food sources, such asagricultural fields, should be in close proximity to areas capable of providing cover. Winter cover generally consists of tall grasses (over20 inches).In general, greater prairie chicken habitat requirements consistof prairie and cropland to the ratio of 3 to 1 with no more than 10
 
percent of the total area being either wooded or urban for the highestchances of survival. 2,000 acres is generally considered to be theminimum area necessary to provide for a viable population of prairiechickens.Reasons for DeclineSeveral reasons explain the Greater Prairie-Chicken’s decline inthe state of Missouri. To begin with, native tallgrass prairies oncecovered 34% of the state. They now make up roughly .5%. As is thecase with several endangered species habitat fragmentation deeplyhampers the species ability to persist. Addressing this fragmentation iscentral to recovery efforts.Related to this is contamination of areas by invasive species. Bytaking over native prairies and pushing out food and cover speciesGreater Prairie Chickens the mortality risks are increased. Non-nativecool season grasses have led to a decrease in overall vegetativequality in the historic prairies of the Greater Prairie Chicken. This leadsto the next reason of decline. (Johnson, 2003)Predation and competition significantly reduce prairie chickennumbers. While all prey species suffer some degree of predation, thelimited numbers of prairie chickens make the losses from predatorssuch as raptors and raccoons more detrimental on the population.Furthermore, competition for what resources there are increases stresson prairie chickens. Ring-necked pheasants are known to lay eggs inprairie chicken nests. Another competitor for habitat is that of sharp-tailed grouse.Limited habitat contributes to the possible outbreak of disease. This comes from two possible sources. Prairie chickens have the
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