Gunnison Sage-Grouse

The Gunnison Sage-Grouse is a smaller, geographically isolated relative of the Greater Sage-Grouse, formally recognized as a distinct species in 2000. It shares the same overall mottled gray-brown, black-bellied body plan and spiky pointed tail, but is smaller-bodied, and displaying males show noticeably longer, thicker white filoplumes on the neck along with more strongly barred tail feathers.

The species is one of the most range-restricted gamebirds in North America, with the vast majority of the world population concentrated in the Gunnison Basin of southwestern Colorado, and it is a species of high conservation concern.

Key field marks

• Smaller and more compact than Greater Sage-Grouse
• Longer, thicker white neck filoplumes on displaying males
• More boldly barred, contrasting tail feathers than Greater Sage-Grouse
• Faster-paced, more elaborate strutting display

Similar species

Greater Sage-Grouse is the only real look-alike, but the two species' ranges are essentially non-overlapping (Gunnison Sage-Grouse is restricted to a small area of southwestern Colorado and adjacent Utah), so location is often the most reliable clue.

Habitat and Range

Gunnison Sage-Grouse require large, unfragmented expanses of sagebrush steppe, similar to Greater Sage-Grouse, but their entire global range is confined to about seven small, isolated populations in the Gunnison Basin and a few satellite areas of southwestern Colorado and adjacent southeastern Utah.

Migration

Most populations are largely resident, with only short seasonal movements between summer and winter range within their small occupied area.

Behavior

Like its larger relative, the Gunnison Sage-Grouse gathers at traditional leks each spring where males perform a rapid, elaborate strutting display to attract mates.

Voice

Display sounds include popping notes from the inflated air sacs, delivered in a faster cadence than Greater Sage-Grouse, along with a distinctive tail-feather swish from the long filoplumes.

Feeding

Sagebrush leaves dominate the diet, especially in winter, supplemented by forbs and insects in the growing season.

Nesting and breeding

Females nest on the ground under sagebrush cover near the lek and raise broods alone; low nest success and small, isolated population size are major conservation concerns for the species.