Attwater's Prairie Chicken Chick
The final stage in the captive rearing of the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken is the release. These endangered and endearing birds are released at one of three release sites: the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken Wildlife Refuge (APCNWR), The Nature Conservancy’s Texas Prairie Preserve, and private land near Goliad, Texas. After the birds are transferred from the zoo to the release site, they are fitted with bands and radio collars in order to identify each individual once they are on the prairie. This allows the biologists to more easily find and identify each individual bird and to keep an accurate count of the population. Each release site is equipped with release pens in which the birds are placed prior to release in order to ensure that all of the birds are well transitioned from the zoo to the release site. Food, consisting of vegetables, bugs and grain, is provided for the birds for several weeks until they are fully grown and ready for release onto the coastal prairie, their native habitat. As an Attwater’s Prairie Chicken intern, this is the most satisfying and awesome experience. Seeing the chicks grow from the time they hatch until they are ready for release is amazing, with each successful release, the wild population of these lovely birds grows, and the release process is complete.
By: Kirsten Thoede, Attwater’s Prairie Chicken Intern
Attwater's Prairie Chicken Chick
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That is a really cute picture of a prairie chicken chick! Really adorable.
Does the Houston Zoo have Attwater Prairie Chickens in an exhibit open for the public?
We currently do not have any Attwater’s Prairie Chickens on exhibit at the zoo. Our flock is managed on a piece of property out at Johnson Space Center for reproduction purposes in order to have chicks for release every year. The only people they see are the animal care staff which take care of them on a day to day basis, their veterinarians and an occassional project visitor.