Sage grouse

The sage-grouse are the species in the bird genus Centrocercus. They are the largest grouse from temperate North America. Adults have a long, pointed tail and legs with feathers to the toes. Like in most Galliformes, there is pronounced sexual dimorphism.

The Sage grouse is classified as Near Threatened (NT), is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.

The Sage Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is the largest grouse in North America, where it is known as the Greater Sage-Grouse. Its range is sagebrush country in the western United States and southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. The Gunnison Grouse was recently recognized as a separate species, and the Mono Basin population of Sage Grouse may also be distinct. Adults have a long, pointed tail and legs with feathers to the toes. More

Sage Grouse Protection Latest news: Conservationists: ‘Warranted but Precluded’ Sage Grouse Finding a ‘Wake-up Call’ (March 5, 2010) Sage Grouse Sage Grouse Photo by Jim Laybourn. More

the Sage Grouse in the Gunnison Basin, Colorado were unique from Sage Grouse found elsewhere in most of the United States. In 1995, Drs. Clait Braun and Jessica Young proposed that the Gunnison Sage-grouse was a distinct species and along with Drs. Jerry Hupp, Sara Oyler-McCance and Tom Quinn, they published their findings in the scientific journal, the Wilson Bulletin (Young et al. 2000) and were awarded the Edward's Prize for the best major article published by that journal that year. More

Populations of sage grouse are in decline due to environment loss and decline of the pristine plains environments it requires to mate. The sage grouse is found in significant numbers within only half of the states comprising its original territories. The Biodiversity Conservation Alliance and other organizations have petitioned to list the grouse under the Endangered Species Act. In March 2010 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) concluded that greater sage-grouse are warranted for protection as "threatened" under the U.S. More

Can the sage grouse, also in peril, help save the vast shrublands of the inland west? By Susan J. Tweit The day is already heating up as biologist Kara Leonard drives slowly up a dirt track to the top of a butte in eastern Idaho's sagelands, listening intently through headphones for the characteristic blips transmitted by her radio-collared band of sage grouse. More

Gunnison Sage Grouse Conservation Plan Executive Summary Background Conservation Assessment Conservation Strategy Conservation Actions Implementation Monitoring & Evaluation Photo of Ginnison Sage Grouse Photo courtesy Geoff Tishbein, CDOW - Background Concern about the status, declining populations and the long-term survival of the Gunnison sage grouse started to surface in the early More

wake of the sage grouse debacle, how ridiculous it is to try to rein in scientists who work for federal agencies by assigning as their boss a politically reliable, but scientifically ignorant, figurehead." Dec. 11, 2007 Federal Court Overturns Bush Administration's "Not Warranted" Listing Decision for Greater Sage-Grouse A federal court reversed and remanded the Fish and Wildlife Service's 12-month "not warranted" listing decision issued in 2005. Sept. More

Sage Grouse Protection = * Sage Grouse The Greater Sage Grouse - The magnificent greater sage grouse, North America's largest grouse, makes its home in Wyoming. In fact, two of the largest remaining complexes of nesting and breeding sites, known as "leks," are located in pristine habitat in Wyoming. The courtship rituals of the grouse are considered one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on the continent. More

The Sage Grouse is currently on British Columbia's Red List (CDC = G4 SX) and is classified as Extirpated provincially. COSEWIC also lists Sage Grouse as Extirpated. More

Great Plains, sage grouse are in trouble. From a population estimated at 2 million when white settlers arrived, the grouse are down to only 140,000. In much of their historical range, they survive only in small fragmented populations of a few hundred birds. Perhaps no other native species is so widely distributed and so widely imperiled. It's the clearest signal of the decline of the last great Western landscape. More

New LogoUS Fish and Wildlife Service Says Core Sage Grouse Habitat Areas Must Remain Protected - Even From Wind Development Cheyenne - Officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week said that wind energy development in Wyoming's core sage grouse habitat areas, even for research purposes, would "negate the usefulness of the core area concept" and would bring into question whether adequate regulatory mechanisms are in place in the state to protect the species. More

sage grouse have a grayish-brown appearance, narrow pointed tail feathers, and feathering to the toes. An adult male is distinguished by a dark throat surrounded by a V-shaped area of white on the neck. Under the white feathers, 2 skin sacs of a yellow-green coloration can be found which are inflated and used during courtship displays. The males also posses yellow eyecombs which are very obvious during courtship display activities. More

sage grouse should be listed as an endangered species across much of the Rocky Mountain West, including Wyoming. The process of listing the bird as endangered could take another year following December's decision on whether it is warranted. Similar article in Billings Gazette. Bird in the Brush (12/15/07) In 2004, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service decided that it did not need to list the sage grouse - whose habitat and diet are defined by sagebrush - as threatened or endangered. More

listen to the Gunnison Sage Grouse audiotape of the mating call. Play the tape for about one minute and then discuss what the sound on the tape was. “Who knows what that sound was? That sound was made by the animal that is underneath this blanket. (Uncover it and ask if anyone can ID it. It’s a GSG). More