Spring booming grounds: greater prairie-chickens in the Yuma County sandhills

One of Yuma County’s most distinctive natural events happens in early spring, before most people are out. In the rolling sandhills of the northern and central county, around Wray, greater prairie-chickens gather at dawn on traditional patches of short grass called leks, or booming grounds. Males puff up orange air sacs on their necks, stamp their feet, and make a low booming sound that carries across the prairie. Hens visit to watch and choose a mate.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife describes this displaying behavior as taking place in roughly March and April, with the birds living in the sandsage grasslands and nearby cornfields of this corner of the plains. The same birds are quiet and hard to see the rest of the year, so the spring window is what makes them special here.

Leks are sensitive. The birds will abandon a display ground if people walk up to it or crowd it, so good viewing is done from a distance, often from a vehicle used as a blind, and quietly. In some years there are organized dawn viewing trips in the Wray area, which is the responsible way to see them without harm.

Before planning a trip, check the greater prairie-chicken page and the nature-viewing pages from Colorado Parks and Wildlife for current guidance and any scheduled viewing.