Funky is a great way to describe the lesser prairie chicken, which really knows how to strut its stuff in the grassy flatlands, west of Lubbock, and at the tip of the Panhandle.
It has giant yellow feather eyebrows that some glam rockers would love to have.
The chicken, which can weigh up to two pounds and can grow up to 16 inches long, has lost habitat to plains farming and ranching operations, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which had been working on conservation plans.
The bird can nibble on some crops, like wheat, but it also has benefits, such as dining on plains insects, like grasshoppers.
Texas State Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, however, is praising a federal judge's decision that reverses protection for the lesser prairie chicken.
"This is a big win for Texas, and one we fought hard to get," he said. "From Day One, I've pushed back against [the Biden administration's] federal overreach because it was wrong for our farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. This court decision is more than just a legal victory. We stood our ground, and we won."
West Texas Federal Judge David Counts found the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made a fundamental error in listing the chicken as endangered and threatened.
Unrestricted hunting is blamed for the lower numbers of the lesser prairie chickens. The bird is known for its elaborate mating dance. Native Americans relied on them as a food source.
In Texas, the birds have seen their habitat shrink across the South Plains near Lubbock and the Panhandle plains around Amarillo. Experts said no more than 30,000 of the birds are still in the wild.
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