In Rothsay, Minnesota, you can see the world's largest prairie chicken sculpture. This wonderful giant chicken stands 13 feet high, 18 feet long, and weighs a whopping 9,000 pounds. It stands with its head bowed, on top of a plaque. This prairie chicken seems like the perfect roadside landmark to never get lost on the way home.
The statue was unveiled on June 15, 1976, a year after Rothsay declared itself the "Prairie Chicken Capital of Minnesota." Designed and built by Art Fosse with help and funding from the local community, it depicts a greater prairie chicken in full booming display — air sacs inflated, head thrust forward in what Atlas Obscura calls "a display of avian potency."
Prairie chickens have some wonderfully strange habits. Male prairie chickens perform one of the weirdest courtship dances in the bird world. They stomp their feet, puff up bright orange air sacs on their necks (as you can see on the statue), and make deep booming noises to impress females. These performances happen in open gathering spots called leks, where groups of males compete like contestants in a prairie talent show. Although they can fly, prairie chickens usually prefer running through tall grass and only burst into the air when startled.
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