Earth, Wind and Fire: Little bird on the prairie

The prairies were once home to grizzly bears, wolves and bison — top species that indicated the health of their habitat.

Left holding the line is the lesser prairie chicken.

While more humbly named than its cousin, the greater prairie chicken, Wayne Walker says the bird species still plays an important role in the grasslands of New Mexico.

"Every time we lose a species on the hierarchy, and buffalo or bison were on top, you get down to the next species that represents that ecosystem's health," Walker said. "We're down to the lesser prairie chicken."

That thermometer of grassland health isn't looking too hot, Walker added, with fewer than 26,000 birds found across New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado. Once, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates, there were hundreds of