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The lesser prairie chicken, known for the males’ quirky courtship dance, inhabits grasslands sought-after by farming and energy developers.

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

Keep reading this article on The New York Times Energy & Environment.

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