Gunnison Sage-Grouse Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  The Gunnison Sage-Grouse is a large grouse with a chubby, round body, small head, and long tail. Males change shape dramatically when they display, becoming almost spherical as they puff up their chest, droop their wings, and fan their tail into a starburst.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a Ring-necked Pheasant; smaller than a Wild Turkey.

  crow-sized

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 18.1-22.1 in (46-56 cm)
    • Weight: 34.9-85.9 oz (990-2435 g)

  © Andrew Spencer / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  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. Females have a dusky cheek patch emphasized by white markings behind the eye.

• Behavior

  For most of the year sage-grouse are inconspicuous, browsing on sagebrush and other plants at ground level. In March to May, males perform elaborate strutting displays on patches of bare ground called leks. Females gather to evaluate the males and choose which ones to mate with.
• Habitat

  The remaining Gunnison Sage-Grouse occur in seven populations living in the sagebrush habitats of southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah.