An Unexpected Journey: Greater Prairie-chicken Travels Nearly 4000 km after Translocation to Iowa

Abstract

After translocation a female greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) traveled over 3988 km between 5 April 2013 and 20 June 2014. The bird traveled a mean distance of 21.5 km per day during the spring (median distance per day 22.2 km; range 0–115 km per day) moving through portions of four states. Nine other marked birds traveled a mean distance of 336 km and a mean distance per day of 7.5 km during the spring (median distance per day 4.6 km; range 0–92 km per day). This is the first record of movements of this magnitude by a greater prairie-chicken. This report highlights the use of recent advances in satellite/GPS telemetry methods for advancing our knowledge of wildlife movements.