The
Sage-grouse (
Centrocercus urophasianus) or
Greater Sage-grouse, is the largest grouse in North America. Its range is
sagebrushSagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
country in the western
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and southern
AlbertaAlberta is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1, 1905.Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S. state of Montana to the south....
and
SaskatchewanSaskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of and a population of 1,023,810 , mostly living in the southern half of the province. Of these, 233,923 live in the province's largest city, Saskatoon, while 194,971 live in the provincial capital, Regina...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The
Gunnison Sage-grouseThe Gunnison Grouse, Centrocercus minimus, is a species of grouse endemic to the United States. It is similar to the closely related Greater Sage-Grouse in appearance but about a third smaller in size, with much thicker plumes behind the head; it also has a less elaborate courtship dance...
was recently recognized as a separate
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
, and the
Mono BasinThe Mono Basin is an endorheic basin located East of Yosemite National Park in California, United States. It is bordered to the West by the Sierra Nevada, to the East by the Cowtrack Mountains, to the North by the Bodie Hills, and to the South by the North ridge of the Long Valley...
population usually considered to belong to the Sage-grouse may also be distinct.
Adults have a long, pointed tail and legs with
featherFeathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates. They are among the outstanding characteristics that distinguish the extant Aves from other living groups....
s to the toes.
The
Sage-grouse (
Centrocercus urophasianus) or
Greater Sage-grouse, is the largest grouse in North America. Its range is
sagebrushSagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
country in the western
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and southern
AlbertaAlberta is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1, 1905.Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S. state of Montana to the south....
and
SaskatchewanSaskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of and a population of 1,023,810 , mostly living in the southern half of the province. Of these, 233,923 live in the province's largest city, Saskatoon, while 194,971 live in the provincial capital, Regina...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The
Gunnison Sage-grouseThe Gunnison Grouse, Centrocercus minimus, is a species of grouse endemic to the United States. It is similar to the closely related Greater Sage-Grouse in appearance but about a third smaller in size, with much thicker plumes behind the head; it also has a less elaborate courtship dance...
was recently recognized as a separate
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
, and the
Mono BasinThe Mono Basin is an endorheic basin located East of Yosemite National Park in California, United States. It is bordered to the West by the Sierra Nevada, to the East by the Cowtrack Mountains, to the North by the Bodie Hills, and to the South by the North ridge of the Long Valley...
population usually considered to belong to the Sage-grouse may also be distinct.
Adults have a long, pointed tail and legs with
featherFeathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates. They are among the outstanding characteristics that distinguish the extant Aves from other living groups....
s to the toes. Adult males have a yellow patch over the eye, are greyish on top with a white breast, a dark brown throat and a black belly; two yellowish sacs on the neck are inflated during courtship display. Adult females are mottled grey-brown with a light brown throat and dark belly.
Ecology
This species is a permanent resident. Some move short distances to lower elevations for winter. These birds forage on the ground. They mainly eat sagebrush, also
insectInsects are arthropods, having a hard exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet and include more than a million species that are already described. Insects represent more than half of all...
s and other plants. They are not able to digest hard
seedA seed , referred to as a kernel in some plants, is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s like other grouse. They nest on the ground under sagebrush or grass patches.
Sage-grouse are notable for their elaborate courtship rituals. Each spring males congregate on leks and perform a "strutting display". Groups of females observe these displays and select the most attractive males to mate with. Only a few males do most of the breeding. Males perform on leks for several hours in the early morning and evening during the spring months. Leks are generally open areas adjacent to dense sagebrush stands, and the same lek may be used by grouse for decades.
Status
The numbers of this species are declining due to loss of
habitatA habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular animal and plant species...
; their range has shrunk in historical times, having been extirpated from
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
,
KansasKansas is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, who inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind," although this was...
,
NebraskaNebraska is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha....
,
OklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,617,316 residents in 2007 and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
,
ArizonaThe State of Arizona is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. The second largest city is Tucson, followed in size by the four Phoenix metropolitan area cities of Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, and Scottsdale.Arizona was the 48th and...
and
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
. Though the Sage-grouse as a whole is not considered endangered by the IUCN, local populations may well be so. This species have been petitoned for listing under the Endangered Species Act. However, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, for political reasons, has refused to list them. In May 2000, the Canadian
Species at Risk ActThe Species at Risk Act is a piece of Canadian federal legislation which became law in Canada on December 12, 2002. It is designed to meet one of Canada's key commitments under the International Convention on Biological Diversity. The goal of the Act is to protect endangered or threatened...
listed the
Centrocercus urophasianus phaios, formerly found in
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
, as being extirpated in
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The Sage-grouse is probably quite vulnerable to the change towards more humid climate caused by
global warmingGlobal warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans since the mid-20th century and its projected continuation. Global surface temperature increased 0.74 ± 0.18 °C during the last century...
, which would reduce the semiarid sagebrush habitat.
SubfossilSubfossil refers to remains whose fossilization process is not complete, either for lack of time or because the condition in which they were buried were not optimal for fossilization....
bones e.g. from Conkling Cave and
Shelter CaveShelter Cave is an archaeological and paleontological site located in Doña Ana County, New Mexico.-General Description:The site is a rock shelter well up on the western side of Bishop's Cap, an outlier of the Organ Mountains. It lies about 450 ft below the summit according to Brattstrom ; this...
of southern New Mexico prove that the species was present south of its current range at the end of the last ice age.
External links