Where can I find sage grouse?
They Always Need Sagebrush The sage should be taller than the snow, since the grouse consume the leaves at the top of the plant. Most of the time in winter, you’ll find them on a south-facing slope. They start to move into these areas after the weather turns cold.
Where do sagehens live?
The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), also known as the sagehen, is the largest grouse (a type of bird) in North America. Its range is sagebrush country in the western United States and southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada.
Does greater sage grouse migrate?
Many sage grouse do migrate, though some stay sedentary. And on the border of Montana and Canada, researchers have documented one population that moved 150 miles in response to winter conditions, the longest known migration route for greater sage-grouse.
How many greater sage grouse are there?
Current estimates range from 200,000 – 500,000 individuals. GrSG are monitored by state agencies primarily by counting males at leks. Some states use brood counts and collect hunter-harvested wings to estimate productivity. Estimated 30% decline in population since 1985.
What are the predators of a greater sage grouse?
From the ground, the birds have to watch for coyotes, foxes, and bobcats. Even more predators are attracted to sage grouse nests, including badgers, weasels, ravens, crows, magpies, and snakes.
What does sage hen mean?
sage grouse
What does sage grouse eat?
Mostly sage leaves and buds, also insects. Diet in fall and winter may be almost entirely the leaves and fresh shoots of sagebrush. At other seasons, also eats leaves, flowers, and buds of a wide variety of plants; also some insects in summer (young eat many insects at first).
Why is the greater sage grouse endangered?
Greater sage-grouse are adversely affected by energy development and infrastructure, even when mitigative measures are implemented. The species is affected by direct habitat loss, fragmentation of important seasonal habitats by roads, pipelines and power lines, and human and vehicle-related disturbance.
What is a sage bird?
Sage-grouse are mottled gray-brown with a black belly. Males have a black head and throat. The breast has a fluffy white ruff that, during displays, surrounds a pair of inflatable, yellow air sacs. Sage-grouse are emblematic of the sagebrush steppe of the intermountain West, which is their only habitat.