Greater Sage-Grouse

     The Greater Sage-Grouse is the largest Grouse species in North America. It was once found across 13 western U.S. states and 3 Canadian provinces. Unfortunately, the Greater Sage-Grouse is now limited to half of its historic range. Previously, the bird was simply known as the Sage Grouse until announcing the Gunnison Sage-Grouse as a separate species in 2000. The latter species is very similar in appearance, but it’s smaller and does not overlap with the Greater Sage-Grouse in its habitat range. As the Gunnison Sage-Grouse is restricted only to just a few areas of Colorado and Utah in the USA.

     The male Greater Sage-Grouse is mottled grey-brown on the upperside with a dark-brown throat and a black belly. He has a white breast, yellow patches over his eyes, and two yellowish sacs on his neck which are inflated during courtship display. Male Greater Sage-Grouse change their shape dramatically when they display. They become almost spherical when they puff up their chest, droop their wings, and fan their tail into a starburst. The female Greater Sage-Grouse is mottled grey-brown too, but differs in having a light brown throat, a dark belly and a dusky cheek patch emphasized by white markings behind the eye.

     The breeding season of the Greater Sage-Grouse is from March to May. Males usually display in their leks for hours in the early morning and evening to attract females. After mating, the Greater Sage hen leaves the lek for the nesting grounds. Clutch size ranges from 4 to 11 eggs which are incubated by the female for 25 to 29 days. Greater Sage-chicks can sustain flight by five to six weeks of age and are relatively independent by the time they have completed their first molt at 10 to 12 weeks of age.