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Photo by Charles G. Summers, Jr. Photo by Perry Conway Greater Prairie Chicken Tympanuchus cupido (Endangered Colorado) Mostly brown in color with horizontal tan barring and a short, rounded tail, the greater prairie chicken is about the size of a domestic chicken. Males have bright orange air sacs on the sides of the neck which inflate during courtship displays each spring. At one time, these birds were abundant throughout the grasslands of the Midwest and Great Plains states but their numbers have been reduced throughout their former range to the point where only remnant populations remain in many areas. Greater prairie chickens once nested in several of Colorado's northeastern counties, but the state's population is now composed of 2,000 to 5,000 birds, most of which reside in Yuma County. The population decline can be traced to the loss of native prairie due to over- grazing and the conversion of grasslands to croplands. If this species is to be saved in Colorado and elsewhere, some remaining tracts of native prairie must be pre- served. The preservation of that habitat is made even more difficult because most of the remaining grasslands are in private ownership. Fortunately, several flocks of greater prairie chickens have been transplanted from private ranches in Yuma County to the Tamarack Ranch State Wildlife Area near Sterling. Portions of this 10,567-acre property were re-seeded with native grasses to enhance the habitat for these birds, and biologists believe that the fact that some of these birds are now on public land will help in their ultimate recovery. Above left: On Colorado's eastern plains, greater prairie chicken surveying booming grounds from sagebrush vantage point. By inflating the colorful air sacs on the neck, the male makes a series of coos.