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9/28/2018  |   3:45 PM - 4:00 PM   |  Experimenting with Methodologies for Releasing Captive Raised Greater Prairie-Chickens into the Wild   |  Eccles Conference Center Auditorium

Experimenting with Methodologies for Releasing Captive Raised Greater Prairie-Chickens into the Wild

The Sutton Avian Research Center is experimenting with raising prairie-chickens in captivity at a dedicated facility in Oklahoma. Greater prairie-chickens (GPC; Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) initially serve as surrogates to test efficacy of prospective designs and methodology. The aim is to learn methods that will help with the efforts of recovering the endangered Attwater’s prairie-chicken (APC; T. c. attwateri). The techniques continue to develop from experience at the annual releases at the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. The Sutton Center was granted an opportunity to return second generation captive raised surrogate GPC to the original gene pool in the Sandhills of Nebraska. Preparing the young birds for life in the wild included limited contact with humans and a comparatively natural environment in large flight pens. Health screening followed the APC protocol, and the diet transitioned from commercial pellets to vegetables and grains in preparation for natural food available in the wild. Special acclimation pens were built at a release site near a booming ground, where the prairie-chickens were kept for 10-14 days after the transport from Oklahoma. Young APC are usually released at 8-12 weeks of age, but to avoid the height of raptor migration in October, these GPC were released in November. Some birds dispersed 10-15 miles while many others remained close and mingled with wild birds. Wild young prairie-chickens were being tracked concurrently to compare with the captive raised released birds.

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Presenters/Authors

Lena Larsson (), Sutton Avian Research Center, llarsson@suttoncenter.org;


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Steve Sherrod (), Sutton Avian Research Center, sksherrod@suttoncenter.org;


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John Toepfer (), Sutton Avian Research Center, jetoepfer@gmail.com;


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