People cannot tell the difference between Illinois prairie chickens and greater prairie chickens from other states. People can identify individual birds by the different patterns of white on their tails. Prairie chickens are grassland birds. They are brown, and the upper part of their bodies are striped with dark brown and tan. Also, there are blackish pinnate feathers on the sides of the necks in male and female prairie chickens.
Prairie chickens eat insects like grasshoppers, ants, and leafhoppers.
They only live 2 to 3 years, so reproduction is very important. Prairie chickens weigh 2 to 3 pounds. They grow to be 16 to 18 inches long. Prairie chickens are able to snow roost, which enables them to keep out of cold winds. This works like an igloo and in the mornings, they can burst out of the snow.