The genus
Tympanuchus was introduced in 1841 by the German zoologist
Constantin Wilhelm Lambert Gloger for the
greater prairie chicken. The name combines the
Ancient Greek tumpanon, meaning "kettle-drum", with
ekhō meaning "to have". The genus contains three species: }} }} All three are among the smaller grouse, from in length. They are found in
North America in different types of
prairie. In courtship display on
leks, males make hooting sounds and dance with the head extended straight forward, the tail up, and colorful neck sacs inflated (shown in the photograph at upper right).
Tympanuchus comes from
Ancient Greek roots and means "holding a drum"; it refers to the
membranous neck sacs and the drum-like call of the greater prairie chicken. The two prairie chickens are particularly closely related and look extremely similar. But their taxonomy and the evolutionary relationships of the
Tympanuchus are yet to be discovered. There is still unknown information about these genera. But one thing we do know is that
Tympanuchus are polyphyletic. They have a strong sexual selection (Galla, 2013). They are commonly seen in the North American Prairies (Galla, 2013). The extinct
heath hen of the American East Coast, usually considered a subspecies of the greater prairie chicken, has been considered a separate species. == Uses ==