Bird name:

Gunnison Sage-Grouse

Centrocercus minimus

Order

GALLIFORMES

Family

Turkeys and Grouse (Phasianidae)

Code 4

GUSG

Code 6

CENMIN

ITIS

677540

Breeding Location:

Grasslands, Scrub vegetation areas

Breeding Type:

Promiscuous

Breeding Population:

Fairly common, but local

Egg Color:

Pale green to brown with brown spots

Number of Eggs:

5 - 9

Incubation Days:

22 - 27

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Grasses and sedge leaves

Migration:

Nonmigratory

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General

Gunnison Sage-Grouse: Recognized as a species in 2000. Large grouse, mottled gray-brown overall with white breast, black face, chin, throat, bib and belly. Yellow eye combs and long black filoplumes on neck show when courting. Female and juvenile are smaller, brown mottled overall and have black bellies. Distinguished from Greater Sage-Grouse by smaller size and paler barred tail.

Range and Habitat

Gunnison Sage-Grouse: Unique to Gunnison Basin of southwestern Colorado, some have moved into Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and the Kansas-Oklahoma border. Prefers open landscapes with areas of scrub vegetation.

Breeding and Nesting

Gunnison Sage-Grouse: Five to nine brown spotted, pale green to brown eggs are laid in a nest of grass and sedge leaves beneath sagebrush, incubated by female for 22 to 27 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Gunnison Sage-Grouse: Eats sagebrush leaves, buds, blossoms, and, seeds. Will eat insects during brood rearing.

Vocalization

Gunnison Sage-Grouse: Makes a series of low clucking noises.

Similar Species

Gunnison Sage-Grouse: Greater Sage-Grouse is larger and has less pronounced filoplumes on nape and neck.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Chin

The area of the face just below the bill.

Face

The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America