Greater Prairie Chicken...anyone know?

[chicknmania]

We were in a huge game preserve this afternoon in northwestern Ohio, basically in the middle of nowhere. We were excited to see and hear what we were sure was a prairie chicken...excited because, although they were at one time in Ohio they are supposedly not now, and supposedly habitat is being created to try to bring them back. This bird rose from extremely high dense brush as we passed by, and cackled exactly like a chicken! It was so weird! We later heard him cackle several more times behind us, but couldn't see him anymore due to our location. We researched prairie chickens later, and it looked like a prairie chicken too...but the voice recording didn't match what we heard. Does anyone know if a prairie chicken, grouse, or pheasant actually makes a noise like a chicken? I really don't think it was a grouse or pheasant; I've seen both before. I'm pretty sure it had the orange markings of a prairie chicken, and too small for a pheasant......

 

[chicknmania]

I mean, they wouldn't call lit a prarie "chicken" if it didn't sound like one, would they???

 

[keljonma]

Yes, I believe I read somewhere that they do sound like farm chickens.

I've also read that it is believed that more people are dumping their farm chickens in the wild (like they would their cats and dogs) when they no longer want them or find they aren't supposed to be keeping farm animals on their property.

It sure would be nice if the prairie chicken would make a come back. I have a friend in Texas who has taken some beautiful pictures of them in the wild. They are a beautiful bird.

 

[dacjohns]

I just some quick research on my birding software. None of the grouse family that I checked, including the Greater Prairie-Chicken, really sounded like a domestic chicken. One problem though, my software only gave the mating sounds fot the Greater Prairie-Chicken.


Chukkar comes the closest to my ears but they are a western bird. And not a juvenile female pheasant or turkey?

The Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas doesn't show even Ruffed Grouse in northwestern Ohio.

Maybe you have stumbled upon a top secret government project.

 

[chicknmania]

Quote:
This was definitely not a domestic chicken turned wild. He really did look like a grouse, only more colorful, and longer body. I'm tempted to contact the State to see what they'll tell me...

 

[chicknmania]

Quote:
That's the problem I had, too... I don't think the birdingsoftwares or websites, give all the calls associated with each species. I'm sure it wasn't a turkey...it came closest to looking like a pheasant, I guess, but smaller...sorta the same shape as a pheasant, though, and that matches what the prairie chicken looks like...the bird seemed to be rising out of the heavy grass growth and brush to look at us, as if to say.."what the heck are people doing HERE???".. and then dissapeared. I read that prairie chickens have to have extremely tall heavy grassland to survive, and that's exactly what this was...up to my armpits, (I'm 5'7") and almost impossible to get through. Top secret government project????? Cool!! I'm going back!!!!

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
This was definitely not a domestic chicken turned wild. He really did look like a grouse, only more colorful, and longer body. I'm tempted to contact the State to see what they'll tell me...

I wouldn't contact the state. At least, not the tell them that they live on your property. If they are really that rare, the government might turn it into a preserve or you'll have to deal with bird-watches(not that there's anything wrong with that). I don't know how rare they are, I was just commenting. LOL

-Kim

 

[chicknmania]

It wasn't my property, it was a state wildlife preserve.

 

[Pullet Pimp]

Was this at Killdeer Plains? I'm in NW Ohio.

 

[chicknmania]

No, it was at Lawrence Woods, outside of Kenton.