Status and management of the greater prairie-chicken Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus in North America

Greater prairie-chickens Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus are grouse of the tall grass prairie of North America. Their range expanded greatly following the spread of early European agriculture into the grasslands and logging in for ested areas. When the optimum mix of cropland and grass was exceeded, their range generally contracted to the regions where climatic and/or soil facto rs favoured the retention of grassland. Historically they probably occurred in 20 states of the United States and four Canadian provinces, but present ly they only occur in 11 states and no longer in Canada. Their current stat us throughout the range varies considerably depending on habitat conditions , population levels, management capabilities and local land-use economic fa ctors. A variety of conservation efforts, including translocation, are unde rway in the states where they occur, the intensity of which is generally in verse to numbers remaining. Noteworthy, is the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) which has increased grassland cover on private land through incentiv e payments.