Attwater's prairie chicken

noun

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Att·wa·ter's prairie chicken | \ ˈat-ˌwȯ-tərz-

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, -ˌwä- \

variants: or less commonly Attwater’s greater prairie chicken

Definition of Attwater's prairie chicken

: an endangered grouse (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri) found in the coastal prairie region of Texas that is a subspecies of the greater prairie chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) but is distinguished by its smaller size and slightly darker coloration The Attwater's prairie chicken once was found over 6 million acres of coastal prairie that stretched from South Texas to western Louisiana. Today, the prairie chicken's population has shrunk from about 1 million birds to only 58 wild birds.— Bob Hood, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 1997

History and Etymology for Attwater's prairie chicken

after Henry Philemon Attwater †1931 British-born American naturalist

Note: The taxonomic name Tympanuchus americanus attwateri (currently T. cupido attwateri) was given to the bird by U.S. Army officer and ornithologist Charles Bendire (1836-97) in Forest and Stream, vol. 40, no. 20 (May 18,1893), p. 425.

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Cite this Entry

“Attwater's prairie chicken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Attwater%27s%20prairie%20chicken. Accessed 7 Mar. 2021.

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