Species: Greater Prairie Chicken | Location: Nebraska, United States
The greater prairie chicken used to be a common sight in North America when settlers first came to our shores. Nowadays, they are classified as "vulnerable" due to loss of habitat and reduced presence, living mostly in Nebraska and a few other prairie states. Their mating dance is a must-see for any photographer as they inflate the orange sacks on the side of their necks, perk up their feather antennae, plump their feathers, boom and vibrate their call, and rapidly prance their feet in an almost comical beat. All this is to establish territory on the lek to ensure they will be the one or two dominant males to do 90% of the mating. They are extremely territorial and do not migrate. I viewed this unique courtship with Prairie Chicken Dance Tours on private land.
About The Photographer
Karin Leperi is an award-winning writer and photographer who captures a sense of people and place in her photography. While the umbrella is travel, she feels that culture, cuisine, and nature define a destination in unique ways that say why you must connect. (She also loves Western culture and everything that spells aviation). She embraces color in telling the story, even as she seeks chromatic aberrance that screams a different tale.
