About > Book Proposal
The dances of grassland grouses, from the impressive courtship dance of Prairie Chickens to the bizarre behaviors of Sage Grouses, are known to nature lovers as one of the most impressive wildlife displays in North America.
Sadly, once found throughout North American prairies, these extraordinary birds are now dramatically down in number.
The problem is that the public nowadays hardly knows they exist. Matt Williams, an expert on the grouse, says, “It would help if they were named something else. People can’t understand why you’d want to save a bunch of chickens.”
Focusing on their captivating mating display, this book will demonstrate the life, the beauty, and the current stand of all North American grouses.
This book will be unique and insightful with many images that have never been captured before.
It will not only show their unique dances and other behaviors, but also explain why these species are worth caring about, why they are threatened and what is being done about it.
Book Outline (Tentative, click to view sample images)
Introduction, American Grasslands
I. The Departed: Eastern prairie and the heath hen
II. The Heartland: Tallgrass prairie and the greater prairie chicken
III. On the Shores of the Gulf: Southern coastal prairie and the Attwater's prairie chicken
IV. The High Plains: Sand-sage prairie, shinnery oak, and the lesser prairie chicken
V. Up North: Shortgrass prairie, the northern prairie margin, and the sharp-tailed grouse
VI. The Far Beyond: Northwestern prairie and the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse
VII. The Big Empty: Sagebrush steppe and the greater sage grouse
VIII. The Colorado Connection: Southern shrub steppe and the Gunnison sage grouse
IX. Why the prairie grouse matter