Kansas congressmen are trying to use a federal tool to strike down the listing of the lesser prairie chicken as threatened or endangered, saying protecting the birds would have negative consequences for Kansas’ economy.

Federal wildlife officials have listed the iconic lesser prairie chicken as threatened across its Kansas habitat. The bird is in even more dire straits in the southwest, where it will be listed as endangered.

The lesser prairie chicken, a rare dancing grouse once abundant on the Great Plains, could benefit again soon from the protection of the U.S. government.

Lesser prairie chickens could be listed as a threatened species in Kansas and northern stretches of the bird’s habitat, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday.