The sounds of male Attwater’s prairie-chickens could be heard throughout the gulf coast prairies of Texas and Louisiana in the early 1900s, when they numbered to about 1 million birds. However, as the 1900s continued, the species dwindled to the edge of extinction. Today, the Attwater’s prairie-chicken is found in only two Texas counties, including Colorado County and Goliad County.

There are several factors that contributed to this species’ decline: habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, overhunting and red imported fire ants. The coastal prairie habitat was lost rapidly to conversion into croplands, urbanization, industrial expansion, conversion into improved pastures, invasive plant species and brush encroachment due to fire suppression. Less than 1% of the estimated 6 million acres of gulf coastal prairie habitat remains today, making it one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America. This habitat is now heavily fragmented, with most remaining portions of coastal prairie being too small to support a prairie-chicken population.

In the late 1800s to early 1900s, uncontrolled hunting also contributed to the bird’s decline. Hunters would compete to kill the most prairie-chickens over several days, only to waste piles of bird carcasses at the end. Texas legislature banned the hunting of prairie-chickens in 1937.

Ever since their introduction to Texas in the 1950s, red imported fire ants have been detrimental to native insect populations. A decreased number of native insects meant a decrease in food for young chicks. This lowered chick survival considerably and added to the Attwater’s prairie-chicken’s decline.

As populations became smaller and smaller, they became more susceptible to disease, parasites and genetic problems. Natural factors, like predation and weather events that could be overcome by larger populations, began to have a stronger effect on the prairie-chicken’s small numbers, thus causing even more of a decline. Back when there were around 1 million Attwater’s prairie-chickens, there were enough birds that survived predation to reproduce.

Their range was still broad, so they could recover from periods of drought, floods or storm events and repopulate impacted areas. But now, with their numbers so low, weather events are far more catastrophic and every Attwater’s prairie-chicken lost to a predator makes a huge difference.

Hope still remains for this species. In 1992, a captive breeding program was initiated by Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. Presently Fossil Rim, the Houston Zoo, Caldwell Zoo in Tyler and the Sutton Avian Research Center are successfully raising Attwater’s prairie-chickens for release into the wild.

Less than 200 birds make up the captive flock at these facilities. The first release of captive bred Attwater’s prairie-chickens occurred during the mid-1990s. Today an average of a little more than 300 birds are released annually at Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge and private property in Goliad County. There, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy implement management practices to conserve the coastal prairie and the Attwater’s prairie-chicken.

The ultimate recovery goal for this imperiled bird is to restore and maintain a genetically viable, stable, self-sustaining population of at least 6,000 breeding adults annually over a 10 year period. Through the combined efforts of government agencies, universities, private landowners, environmental groups and corporate organizations, we have hope for the Attwater’s prairie-chicken. Perhaps the sound of this magnificent bird will once again be heard throughout the gulf coast prairies of Texas.