any of a genus (Tympanuchus) of large, brown-and-white, henlike grouse with a short, rounded tail, found on the North American prairies and along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico
See prairie chicken in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
Either of two birds (Tympanuchus cupido or T. pallidicinctus) of the grouse family, found in western North America and having deep-chested bodies and mottled brownish plumage.