[Length 5.25 in. Wingspan 8.5 in.]

This "Pacific" Mountain Chickadee was photographed in the mountains near Mt. Pinos, California. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Ektachrome 200 film pushed to 800. (Date: August 1983)

[Length 5.25 in. Wingspan 8.5 in.]

This Mountain Chickadee was photographed at the Moose Visitor Center, Gould (Walden), Colorado. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens on a Nikon D7100 camera. (Date: June 3, 2016)

[Length 5.25 in. Wingspan 8.5 in.]

This Mountain Chickadee was photographed at the mountaintop restaurant, Sandia Crest, NM. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S VR f2.8 lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: March 3, 2008)

[Length 5.25 in. Wingspan 8.5 in.]

This "Rocky Mountain" Mountain Chickadee was photographed at Allenspark, CO. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D300 camera. (Date: April 21, 2009)

[Length 5.25 in. Wingspan 8.5 in.]

This "Rocky Mountain" Mountain Chickadee was photographed at Allenspark, CO. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D300 camera. (Date: April 21, 2009)

[Length 5.25 in. Wingspan 8.5 in.]

This Mountain Chickadee in Flight was photographed at the Trail of Time, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Photo taken with a AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED [II] lens (EFL=300mm) on a Nikon D7000 camera. (Date: September 21, 2011)

[Length 5.25 in. Wingspan 8.5 in.]

This Mountain Chickadee was photographed at the Trail of Time, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Photo taken with a AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED [II] lens (EFL=300mm) on a Nikon D7000 camera. (Date: September 21, 2011)

[Length 15 in. Wingspan 25 in.]

Greater Prairie-Chickens once bred throughout the vast prairies of North America. Habitat loss has drastically reduced their populations, and one must seek them out at the few remaining grassland areas. An isolated population exists in central-eastern Texas known as "Attwater's" Greater Prairie-Chicken. By 2003 there were less than 50 of these birds in the wild. Captive breeding and re-introduction programs have been implemented to save the population, but progress has been very slow. Today, the only extant population is at the inland Attwater's Prairie-Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, where captive bred birds have been re-introduced into the wild. This male "Attwater's" Greater Prairie Chicken was photographed just before dawn on a farm road west of Aransas NWR, Texas. It may well have been one of the last "wild" birds left in its historic coastal breeding range. Photo taken through a car windshield (and illuminated mostly by the car's headlights!) with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Ektachrome 200 film. (Date: December 1979)

[Length 17 in. Wingspan 28 in.]

Greater Prairie-Chickens once bred throughout the vast prairies of North America. Habitat loss has drastically reduced their populations, and one must seek them out at the few remaining grassland areas. It is worth the effort to do so during the early spring, for the courting ritual of the males is spectacular, to say the least. Each male defends a territory into which he hopes to lure a female by fluffing his feathers, cocking his tale, stomping his feet, and singing a loud thrumming song that sounds like air blown across the top of a soda bottle. This male "Northern" Greater Prairie-Chicken was photographed at the Nature Conservancy's Bluestem Prairie unit in western Minnesota. Photo taken with a 180 mm f2.8 EDAF Nikkor lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: May 1992)