Trump administration ends protections for rare dancing prairie bird

The Trump administration has formally removed the lesser prairie chicken from federal protection, siding with three states and industries that argued the bird was improperly listed under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announcement on Thursday confirms a recent Texas court ruling that effectively ended federal safeguards for the species.

Once numbering in the millions, the ground-dwelling bird is now reduced to approximately 30,000 across parts of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. The species is known for its elaborate mating dances, where males perform distinctive warbling, clucking, and stomping displays to attract females—rituals that wildlife enthusiasts prize and that have inspired traditional dances among Native American tribes.

The lesser prairie chicken’s path to protection has been fraught with legal challenges. In 2014, it was initially listed as threatened, but that designation was overturned by a federal judge in Midland, Texas in 2015 after petroleum developers successfully argued that existing conservation measures were sufficient.

In 2022, the Biden administration attempted to reinstate protections, classifying the bird as threatened in the northern parts of its range across Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, while designating it as endangered in southern populations in New Mexico and Texas.

This action prompted immediate legal pushback from Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, alongside industry groups including the Permian Basin Petroleum Association and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, which challenged the listing.

After President Trump took office in 2023, the Fish and Wildlife Service reassessed its position and ultimately conceded that it lacked justification for separating the lesser prairie chicken into two distinct population segments—a key foundation of the Biden-era protection strategy.

U.S. District Judge David Counts, presiding in Midland, formalized this reversal in an August ruling, writing that “Fish and Wildlife’s concession points to serious error at the very foundation of its rule.” The decision was celebrated by Texas officials, including the state’s oil and gas regulatory authorities.

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham praised the delisting in a statement, saying, “It will ensure American oil and gas production in the Permian Basin remains robust and our economy steadfast.”

The Permian Basin, which spans parts of western Texas and southeastern New Mexico, is one of the most productive oil and gas regions in the United States, producing over 5 million barrels of oil per day. Industry stakeholders have long maintained that endangered species protections place undue burdens on energy development in the region.

When protected, landowners, energy companies, and ranchers were required to implement measures to avoid disrupting the birds’ habitat, particularly their breeding grounds. These requirements included limitations on development during mating seasons and mandatory buffer zones around leks, the specialized areas where mating displays occur.

Conservation biologists have documented steady declines in lesser prairie chicken populations due to habitat fragmentation and loss. Agricultural expansion, oil and gas development, and renewable energy projects have all contributed to the diminishing grassland habitat these birds require.

Environmental organizations have expressed dismay at the decision. Jason Rylander, legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, vowed to continue the legal fight, stating, “It’s shameful that the Trump administration sees fit to sacrifice these magnificent birds for oil and gas industry profit. Lesser prairie chickens may be lost forever without Endangered Species Act protections.”

The delisting represents another chapter in the ongoing tension between economic development and wildlife conservation in the American West, where multiple use mandates for public lands often pit extractive industries against environmental protection. Wildlife advocates argue that without federal intervention, voluntary conservation efforts are unlikely to reverse the species’ decline.