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THE WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY • Vol. 124. No. 1. March 2012 
initiation until offspring are independent, age of 
the nesting female, and food availability (Olsen 
et al. 2003). The production of multiple broods 
within a breeding season has been previously 
unreported for North American grouse (subfamily 
Tetraoninae). although common in other avian 
taxa (Labranche and Walters 1994, Guthery and 
Kuvlesky 1998, Morrison 1998. Pope and Craw¬ 
ford 2001. Olsen et al. 2003. Ortego 2004, 
Monroe et al. 2008, Mulvihill et al. 2009, Sandor 
and Moldovan 2010). 
Greater Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus cu- 
piclo) are a ground-nesting prairie grouse with an 
extant distribution ranging from Oklahoma to 
North Dakota (Johnson et al. 201 I). Populations 
in the southern extent of their distribution in 
Kansas arc characterized by having long breeding 
seasons, high nesting propensity, large clutch 
sizes, and high rates of renesting after failure of 
first nests (McNew et al. 2011). Chicks fledge and 
can achieve short flights at 14 days of age but are 
not independent until 40-85 days of age (Johnson 
et al. 2011. McNew et al. 2011). We report on the 
breeding history of a radio-marked female Greater 
Prairie-Chicken in Kansas that successfully 
hatched a nest and then renested after losing the 
brood from her first nesting attempt. 
METHODS 
We placed necklace-style radio transmitters 
(Model A3950, Advanced Telemetry Systems, 
Isanti. MN, USA) on 55 female Greater Prairie- 
Chickens captured at 13 leks during 11 March- 
5 May 2011 in Chase. Greenwood, and Morris 
counties. Kansas (UTM Zone 14 N: 0717451 E, 
4266117 N) as part of a study evaluating prairie- 
chicken ecology within the intensively-grazed 
Flint Hills ecoregion. Annual spring burning of 
residual vegetation over large extents of native 
tallgrass prairie is common and cattle grazing is 
the dominant land use in the Flint Hills (McNew 
et al. 2011). 
OBSERVATIONS 
We captured and equipped a female Greater 
Prairie-Chicken on 4 April 2011 with a uniquely 
numbered aluminum leg band (#1249) and radio 
transmitter. The radio-marked female was moni¬ 
tored >3 times per week from vehicles during the 
nesting and brood-rearing period (Apr-Aug). The 
female was Hushed on 10 May and had a nest 
with 12 eggs. We estimated, via floatation and 
back-dating from day of hatch, the clutch was 
initiated on 21 April. Nest attendance by the 
female was monitored remotely by telemetry 
every 1-3 days throughout the incubation period. 
The last date the female was known via telemetry 
to be incubating her first nest was 27 May. anil 
she was first detected to be away from her nest on 
28 May. On 29 May, we visited the nest site and 
confirmed via eggshell remains that all 12 eggs 
successfully hatched on 27 May. On 29 May. the 
female was discovered to have moved 3.2 km 
from her location the previous day. suggesting 
potential total brood loss of the newly hatched am! 
flightless young. We Hushed the hen on 13 June 
when her chicks should have been 16 days of age, 
and conducted a thorough search for chicks: finding 
none. We conducted a second flush count tin 
following day and again counted no chicks 
confirming her first brood had been lost sometime 
during the pre-fledge period ( likely prior to her long 
movement on 29 May when chicks were 2 days of 
age). We continued to monitor the female by 
telemetry and on 22 June we discovered this female 
incubating a second nest of eight eggs. We 
estimated with egg flotation that the second nest 
was initiated on 10 June, indicating 13 days between 
the time when her first brood failed arid when she 
began laying her second clutch. The distance 
between her first and second nest was 2.9 km, The 
female’s second clutch successfully hatched all 
eight chicks on 15 July. We conducted a flush count 
at 14 days post hatch (29 July) and found the second 
brood failed during the pre-fledging period. 3 
second flush of female 1249 was conducted on .4) 
July to confirm the absence of chicks. 
DISCUSSION 
The production of multiple broods is though' 
to be an adaptive life history' strategy lor some 
populations of birds where survival and tuture 
breeding effort is not diminished (Perrins 19 4). 
Boer-Hazewinkel 1987). Low occurrence of 
second broods has been reported for other species 
of gallinaceous birds in North America: Northern 
Bobwhite (Col inns virginiamts; Sandereock et al. 
2008). Mountain Quail (Oreortyxpictus. Pope and 
Crawford 2001), Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallo- 
pavo; Keegan and Crawford 1993). and Ring- 
necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus : Gate' 
1966. Dumke and Pils 1979). Renesting after 
loss of a brood has only been documented in one 
other species of grouse, the Scottish Red Groan 
(Lagopus lagopus scoticus ; Kirby and Smith 
