Abstract
The potential for wind energy facilities to affect species of grouse in the grasslands of the Great Plains of North America is a conservation concern. Communication by male Greater Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus) is essential for lek mating displays and includes low-frequency vocalizations that could be disrupted by wind turbine noise. We studied the effects of wind turbine noise on the boom, cackle, whine, and whoop vocalizations of male Greater Prairie-Chickens recorded at 14 leks located 703 m to 23 km away from a wind energy facility near Ainsworth, Brown County, Nebraska, USA, in 2013 and 2014. First, we assessed ambient sound levels at our study sites. Wind turbine noise contributed to the soundscape; leks