The U.S. government Thursday announced protections for two populations of a rare prairie bird that's found in parts of the Midwest, including one of the country’s most prolific oil and gas fields.
The lesser prairie chicken's range covers a portion of the oil-rich Permian Basin along the New Mexico-Texas state line and extends into parts of Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas. The habitat of the bird, a type of grouse, has diminished across about 90% of its historical range, officials said.
