26 April 2025, Flying house
Final night time was the top of the Grouse Lek Extravaganza in Colorado so right now I’m flying house to Pittsburgh with reminiscences of dancing chickens in my head.
By now you might assume that North America is the one place the place chickens dance, however I noticed little bustards (Tetrax tetrax) in Spain final September who molt into breeding plumage in late winter and dance to impress the drab-colored girls in March.
In spring, male little bustards assemble on the lek, puff their spiffy black and white necks, and carry out a stamp, click on, leap and tweet dance.
I’m wondering how he makes that Clicking sound.
Just like the higher sage-grouse and higher prairie hen, the little bustard is listed as Close to Threatened due to habitat loss all through its vary. Although it breeds in Southern Europe and in Western and Central Asia …
Europe holds round 40% of the worldwide breeding vary, however might maintain as a lot as 80-90% of the worldwide inhabitants. … The European inhabitants is estimated to be declining by 30-49% in three generations (30.9 years).
See the little bustard’s vary map on the hyperlink.
