Are Prairie Chickens Really Separate Species? New Genomic Findings Shake Avian Biology

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The battle over the prairie chicken shows how modern molecular genetics can outpace conservation policies written half a century ago. High-resolution sequencing will continue to dissolve long-held boundaries between birds once considered discrete evolutionary products. Over the coming years, taxonomic committees will weigh whether to formally merge the greater and lesser prairie-chickens into a single taxonomic species.

Yet for the wild hens facing the heat of the High Plains, taxonomic labels offer no protection from a bulldozer or a severe regional drought. The survival of these iconic grassland birds depends far less on how geneticists name them and far more on whether human economies leave them enough unbroken prairie to dance.