Finally, because the Attwater's is so rare, with an estimated 56 birds in the wild, the species is at much greater risk to natural elimination factors, like predators, disease, and genetic defects. You mentioned the importance of grazing in maintaining prairie chicken habitat. Grazing and prairie chicken management go hand in hand. Without some grazing, the coastal prairie biomass would become so thick that the birds couldn't use it. Attwater's need to survive.
Moderate grazing is the key.
Don't forget that the Attwater's and the bison co-existed on this prairie long before settlers arrived. Conservationists and biologists are working to keep the Attwater's from going extinct. We have since added programs at the Houston and San Antonio Zoos. We have been releasing birds into the wild since 1995, and so far, the results are promising. With the introduction of the captive-bred birds, Attwater's populations are holding steady right now in the wild.