Gunnison Sage-Grouse

     The Gunnison Sage-Grouse  is a species of Grouse endemic to the United States of America. It’s restricted in range to southwestern Colorado and extreme south-eastern Utah. The Gunnison Sage-Grouse is similar to, but rarer than, its close relative the Greater Sage-Grouse. Both species were considered a single species named as the ‘Sage-Grouse’ until declaring the Gunnison Sage-Grouse as a separate species in 2000. Greater Sage-Grouse are different in being larger, with less white barring in their tail feathers. Also, they lack the long, dense display feathers on the back of the head that give the male Gunnison Sage-Grouse a pony-tailed look.

     The Gunnison Sage-Grouse is a mottled grey-brown bird with a black belly. Male birds have black heads and throats, and white breasts with yellow air sacs which can be inflated during courtship display. While, female Gunnison Sage-Grouse have dusky cheek patches emphasized by white markings behind the eyes.

     Male Gunnison Sage-Grouse gather on the lek or strutting grounds, which are small, open areas where breeding occurs, in late February to April. After mating, the hen leaves the lek for the nesting grounds. The female Gunnison Sage-Grouse lays a clutch of 3 – 10 eggs then incubates them for 25 – 29 days. Female individuals do all the nest-building, incubation, and raising of the chicks without any help from the males.