About Attwater’s Prairie Chicken Recovery Program

With a wild population that once numbered just 12 birds, the Attwater’s prairie chicken (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri), a Texas endemic species that is a building block of the Gulf Coast prairie ecosystem, is one of the country’s most endangered birds. The Attwater’s prairie chicken was listed as an Endangered Species in 1967, in the “Class of 1967”, which was the first list of animals that the US made to protect with legislation. The Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1968, the only National Wildlife Refuge that was created specifically to help save a species. The Attwater’s prairie-chicken is a critically endangered subspecies of prairie grouse that was once very common on the coastal prairies of eastern Texas, including what is today the Houston metropolitan area. This bird is perhaps best known for its “booming” display, a characteristic male behavior that attracts hens during the breeding season, which takes place from late winter through early spring. Unfortunately, the combination of vanishing habitat, predation, and introduced species has taken its toll on the remaining wild population, which now numbers less than 100 birds at two Texas sites: the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge and private ranchlands in Refugio County Texas.

Project Description & History 

The Houston Zoo began participation in the recovery of the Attwater’s prairie-chicken in 1994. They began the program by accepting 2 clutches of eggs from wild hens. These were raised to become part of the breeding recovery program. For many years, Houston Zoo’s breeding program was limited and kept to approximately 10 breeding hens. However, over time, more production was needed to release these birds into the wild and space at the zoo was limited. In 2005, a unique partnership was developed between the Houston Zoo and NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Through a Space Act Agreement, the zoo was able to build a breeding facility on 2.5 acres of Johnson Space Center land. This gave them the ability to increase their breeding flock to almost 24 hens. Through the years, Houston Zoo has also maintained the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquarium) studbook and acted as Species Survival Plan (SSP) coordinator for the zoo-based breeding flock.

The Houston Zoo focuses on the following key objectives for this project:

1. Maintain breeding pairs to ensure genetic diversity of the population.
2. Supplement wild population of birds through releases.
3. Identify best practices for breeding and rearing Attwater’s Prairie-chickens and disseminate that information to breeding partners.
4. Share grouse breeding knowledge with programs that work to save endangered grouse species worldwide.
5. Work with all recovery partners to save native prairie.

Community Impact

Since the beginning of the recovery program, Houston Zoo has prevented the extinction of the Attwater’s prairie-chicken through breeding in human care and releasing birds back into their native habitat. Work done through this program has helped identify threats to native wildlife and habitat, such as the impact of Red Imported Fire Ants on native species of flora and fauna.