One of North Americaโs most endangered birds is showing signs of recovery in Texas.
More than 500 acres of critical habitat have been added to the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado County, marking the largest expansion of the refuge in decades. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, the official nonprofit partner of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, announced the acquisition as part of ongoing conservation efforts.
The newly protected land strengthens coastal prairie habitat for the endangered Attwaterโs prairie-chicken and brings the refugeโs total protected area to more than 11,000 acres.
The Attwaterโs prairie-chicken, a ground-dwelling grouse known for its distinctive spring courtship display, now numbers fewer than 200 birds in the wild. A century ago, the species was widespread across the Gulf Coast prairies of Texas and Louisiana, with an estimated population of around 1 million birds. Over time, that population declined dramatically.
Today, the species remains in the wild in only two Texas countiesโColorado County and Goliad County. Conservation efforts now depend heavily on captive breeding programs and careful habitat management to support population growth.
Several factors contributed to the speciesโ decline, including habitat loss, fragmentation, overhunting, and the spread of invasive red imported fire ants. The coastal prairie ecosystem the birds depend on has largely disappeared due to conversion into cropland, improved pasture, and urban development. Additional impacts from industrial expansion, invasive plant species, and brush encroachmentโpartly caused by decades of fire suppressionโhave further reduced viable habitat.
Less than 1 percent of the approximately 6 million acres of Gulf Coast coastal prairie that once covered the region still remains. Much of what is left is fragmented into smaller patches that are often too limited to support prairie-chicken populations.
The refuge, located about 60 miles west of Houston, protects one of the largest remaining areas of native coastal prairie in Southeast Texas and plays a key role in the speciesโ survival.
Funding from Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation donors, along with support from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, made the land acquisition possible. Early indications show the birds are already using the newly protected property, signaling a positive step forward for both the species and the fragile coastal prairie ecosystem.
