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September 2, 2010

Group sues feds over lesser prairie chicken

Associated Press

DENVER — A conservation group is suing to try to win federal protection for the lesser prairie chicken, a bird about the same size as domestic chickens found in the grasslands of Colorado and neighboring states.



A lawsuit filed by WildEarth Guardians Wednesday in federal court in Denver is challenging the Interior Department's decision last year that the bird's listing on the endangered species list is warranted but is a lower priority than other species. The group says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office responsible for the region where the prairie chicken is found hasn't listed any species since 2005.



Besides Colorado, the birds are found in grasslands in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Kansas. Biologists estimate there are about 40,000 breeding birds left.

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