Nature is entertaining, especially when animals are trying to attract mates. This Attwater prairie chicken’s mating dance is so silly, watching it go down will make your day better.
While we wouldn’t call this ritual mating dance excessive (some birds really make a scene), the weird booming sound, the orange inflating neck sacs, and the feather headdress are all pretty show off-y. It’s the little tap-tap-tap routine that’ll win your heart, though.
Let’s hope, for this male’s sake, its mating dance wins the heart of a lady prairie chicken, too:
Attwater prairie chickens are critically endangered. While they used to roam gulf coast prairies throughout Texas and Louisiana, the birds’ numbers dwindled throughout the last century as a result of habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, overhunting, and red imported fire ants. Today, according to the USFWS (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service), Attwater prairie chickens only live in two Texas counties—Colorado County and Goliad County.
Coastal prairie habitats in the birds’ historic range took a hit thanks to urbanization, conversion into pastures and croplands, and industrial expansion. The USFWS says less than 1% of the estimated 6 million acres of gulf coastal prairie habitat remains today.
Since the odds have not been in these birds’ favor, it’s important that this silly mating dance results in a successful pairing, mating, and birth.
Can’t get enough of the prairie chicken’s mating ritual? Here’s a longer video:
