Trump Officials Ask Court to End Protections for a Strutting, Showy Bird

The Trump administration has moved to end federal protections for the lesser prairie chicken, a showy grouse with the misfortune of inhabiting southern and central grasslands long sought-after for agriculture and energy development.

In a court filing on Wednesday, officials said the Fish and Wildlife Service had erred in a Biden-era decision that placed the bird on the endangered species list.

It’s the latest in a blur of actions by the White House seeking to weaken or eliminate environmental regulations that constrain President Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” agenda.

And it’s the latest twist for a species whose fate has been fought over for three decades.

Lesser prairie chickens — known for the males’ quirky courtship displays of stamping, fanning their tail feathers and “flutter jumping” — have declined from historic estimates of hundreds of thousands or even millions to only about 30,000 today. Habitat loss is the main culprit.

In the filing, in United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, officials said they expected to re-evaluate the bird’s status by Nov. 30, 2026.

Although the species would lack federal protections under the Endangered Species Act in the interim, the motion stated that “at least sixteen different conservation efforts and programs administered by state, federal, and private entities exist that benefit the lesser prairie chicken.”