Sharp-tailed Grouse Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  A tubby, chickenlike bird with small head, small bill, short legs, and medium-long, graduated (pointed) tail.

  Relative Size

  Smaller than a Ring-necked Pheasant, larger than a Gray Partridge.

  crow-sized

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 15.0-19.0 in (38.1-48.3 cm)
    • Weight: 21.0-31.0 oz (596-880 g)
    • Wingspan: 24.4-25.6 in (62-65 cm)

  © David M. Bell / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Mottled overall in brown, gold, white, and black, with white undertail coverts and lower belly.

• Behavior

  Sharp-tailed Grouse forage both on the ground and in trees. On the ground they peck at seeds, grains, and insects; in trees they feed on buds, flowers, and berries. They fly strongly between roosting and feeding areas, which can be several miles apart. Males gather on courtship grounds called leks, where they perform rapid-stepping displays, call, and often fight.

• Habitat

  Grasslands and prairies interspersed with areas of dense shrubs (in the southern part of range); bog edges and shrubby openings in boreal forest (in the northern part of range). Winter habitat usually includes croplands, as well as taller shrubs and trees in areas protected from the wind and cold.