The Complete List of Endangered Prairie Animals

Prairie landscapes support a surprising variety of wildlife, from burrowing mammals to grassland birds and amphibians adapted to seasonal wetlands. These ecosystems have been heavily altered by agriculture and development, so understanding which species need help is an important first step for conservation and land management.

There are 28 Endangered Prairie Animals, ranging from the American Burying Beetle to the Wyoming Toad. For each species, you’ll find below data organized under the columns Scientific name, Status, Range to help you compare threats and distributions quickly.

How is a prairie species determined to be endangered?

Species are assessed using population trends, habitat loss, and threat severity by agencies and conservation groups; a combination of field surveys, historical records, and threat analyses determines listings and recovery priorities so you can see why a given animal appears in the list.

What practical steps can landowners take to help these species?

Landowners can restore native prairie vegetation, manage grazing to maintain plant diversity, protect wetlands and seasonal pools, and coordinate with local conservation programs—actions that directly improve habitat for species like the American Burying Beetle and the Wyoming Toad.

Endangered Prairie Animals

Images and Descriptions

Black-footed Ferret

North America’s most endangered mammal, this ferret relies exclusively on prairie dog colonies for food and shelter. Its survival is directly tied to the health of prairie dog populations, which have declined drastically due to habitat loss and disease.

Lesser Prairie-Chicken

This grouse is famous for its dramatic springtime mating dances on “lekking” grounds. It requires vast, intact landscapes of sand sagebrush and shinnery oak prairies, which have been fragmented by agriculture, energy development, and grazing.

Greater Sage-Grouse

The largest grouse in North America, it depends entirely on sagebrush for food and cover, especially in winter. Loss of its native sagebrush habitat to development, invasive grasses, and fire threatens its elaborate courtship displays and survival.

American Burying Beetle

This large, striking beetle plays a vital role as a decomposer, burying small carcasses to feed its young. Its decline is linked to habitat loss and the disappearance of appropriately sized animals to serve as carrion hosts.

Poweshiek Skipperling

One of America’s most endangered butterflies, it has vanished from 99% of its range. This tiny insect depends entirely on pristine, unplowed native prairies and fens, making it extremely vulnerable to any habitat disturbance.

Dakota Skipper

A small butterfly that can only survive in high-quality, native tallgrass and mixed-grass prairies. It relies on specific native flowers for nectar and grasses for its caterpillars, habitats that are now exceedingly rare due to agriculture.

Rusty Patched Bumble Bee

Once a common pollinator in prairies and grasslands, this bee has suffered a catastrophic decline of nearly 90%, likely from disease, pesticides, and habitat loss. It was the first bee in the continental U.S. to be listed as endangered.

Monarch Butterfly

Famous for its epic migration, the monarch relies on milkweed plants found in prairies and grasslands to lay its eggs. The widespread loss of milkweed due to herbicides and land conversion has caused its populations to plummet.

Swift Fox

This small, cat-sized fox was nearly wiped out by poisoning campaigns and habitat loss. While conservation efforts have helped it recover in some areas, it remains a fragile resident of the open prairie, where it digs dens for shelter.

Burrowing Owl

This unique, long-legged owl nests and roosts in underground burrows, often ones dug by prairie dogs or badgers. It is threatened by the loss of grasslands and the eradication of the burrowing mammals that create its homes.

Mountain Plover

Despite its name, this bird lives on the flat, dry “mountains of the plains.” It prefers heavily grazed or prairie dog-disturbed areas for nesting, and its population has declined due to the conversion of native prairie to cropland.

Sprague’s Pipit

A secretive songbird known for its incredible aerial display, where it sings while circling high above the prairie. It requires large, undisturbed tracts of native grassland for nesting and is highly sensitive to habitat fragmentation.

Attwater’s Prairie-Chicken

One of North America’s most endangered birds, this subspecies has lost over 99% of its native coastal prairie habitat to urban and agricultural development. Captive breeding programs are critical for its survival.

Whooping Crane

Standing five feet tall, it’s North America’s tallest bird. Its survival depends on prairie wetlands and rivers for stopover sites during its 2,500-mile migration. Habitat loss along this central flyway is a primary threat.

Massasauga Rattlesnake

This small, shy rattlesnake depends on prairie wetlands and adjacent upland grasslands for its survival. It is threatened by habitat loss and persecution by humans, who often fear this non-aggressive snake.

Wyoming Toad

Once common in the floodplains of Wyoming’s high-elevation prairie, this toad was wiped out in nature by a fungal disease and habitat changes. Its only hope now lies in a captive breeding and reintroduction program.

Mexican Prairie Dog

A keystone species in its ecosystem, this prairie dog’s burrows create homes for countless other animals. Its habitat has been largely converted to agriculture and ranchland, leading to a severe population decline and endangering the entire community.

Utah Prairie Dog

Found only in Utah, this species is threatened by disease (sylvatic plague) and habitat loss from agriculture and development. As an ecosystem engineer, its decline impacts species like burrowing owls and ferruginous hawks.

Sonoran Pronghorn

Adapted to the extreme heat and aridity of the desert grasslands, this pronghorn subspecies is threatened by habitat fragmentation from roads and canals, which block its access to food and water across its vast range.

Northern Aplomado Falcon

This swift, beautiful falcon was nearly eliminated from the U.S. by habitat loss and pesticides like DDT. Reintroduction programs in the desert prairies of the Southwest are slowly helping this grassland predator make a comeback.

Wood Bison

A subspecies of the American bison, it is larger and darker than its plains cousin. Though recovering, its small, isolated herds remain vulnerable to disease from cattle and loss of their preferred sedge meadow habitats.

Topeka Shiner

This small minnow thrives in the cool, clear pools of streams that flow through intact prairies. Its survival is threatened by agricultural runoff that muddies the water and dam construction that fragments its habitat.

Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly

This rare dragonfly with brilliant green eyes depends on pristine, spring-fed wetlands found within prairie ecosystems. Its habitat is extremely sensitive to groundwater pollution and changes in water flow caused by development.

Greater Prairie-Chicken

Known for its iconic booming courtship ritual, this grouse requires large, interconnected areas of native tallgrass prairie. Less than 4% of this habitat remains, and the bird’s populations have become small and isolated, threatening its genetic health.

Ferruginous Hawk

North America’s largest hawk, it nests in isolated trees or on the ground in vast, open prairies. It is highly dependent on prey like prairie dogs and ground squirrels, and its numbers decline when these rodent populations are lost.

Piping Plover

While often seen on coastlines, the Great Plains population of this tiny shorebird nests on open, sandy riverbanks within the prairie ecosystem. River channelization, dams, and water management have severely reduced its available nesting habitat.

Black-capped Vireo

This small, energetic songbird nests in the low, shrubby vegetation found in prairie-savanna transition zones. Its decline is due to the loss of this specific habitat to land clearing and fire suppression, which allows dense forests to grow.

Pallid Sturgeon

This ancient, bottom-dwelling fish is a product of the vast prairie river system. Dams and channelization have altered the river’s natural flow, temperature, and turbidity, destroying the spawning grounds and habitat this “dinosaur fish” needs to survive.

Other Prairie Trait Animals