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Bird name:

Greater Sage-Grouse

Centrocercus urophasianusOrder: GALLIFORMES Family: Turkeys and Grouse (Phasianidae)

Codes: Common Name: GRSG Scientific Name: CENURO ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175855

Breeding Location:

Grasslands, Scrub vegetation areas

Breeding Type:

Promiscuous

Breeding Population:

Declining

Egg Color:

Pale green with brown spots

Number of Eggs:

6 - 9

Incubation Days:

25 - 27

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Lined with grass and sage leaves.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

General

Greater Sage Grouse: Large grouse with scaled, gray-brown upperparts, white breast, and black throat, bib, and belly, and yellow combs above eyes. Large, white collar-like patch on breast conceals two yellow air sacs displayed during courtship. Tail feathers are long and pointed. Female is much smaller with white throat and no combs or air sacs; shows black on belly.

Range and Habitat

Greater Sage Grouse: Resident from southern Alberta and Saskatchewan south to eastern California, Nevada, Colorado, and South Dakota. Preferred habitats include the open country and sagebrush plains.

Breeding and Nesting

Greater Sage Grouse: Six to nine pale green eggs, lightly spotted with brown, are laid in a well-concealed grass-lined ground depression. Incubation ranges from 25 to 27 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Greater Sage Grouse: Eats soft plants, primarily big sagebrush, but also forbs and insects.

Vocalization

Greater Sage Grouse: When flushed, makes a chicken-like cackling call. Males make a bubbling sound during courtship.

Similar Species

Greater Sage Grouse: Other grouse within range are smaller, browner, and lack long, pointed tails and black bellies.

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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.

Greater Sage-Grouse

Greater Sage Grouse: Largest North American grouse, has scaled gray-brown upperparts, white breast, black throat, bib, and belly, and yellow combs above eyes. Large, white collar-like patch on breast conceals two yellow air sacs displayed during courtship. Tail feathers are long and pointed.

● Song: "kuk-kuk-kuk"

● Foraging & Feeding: Greater Sage Grouse: Eats soft plants, primarily big sagebrush, but also forbs and insects.

● Breeding & nesting: Greater Sage Grouse: Six to nine pale green eggs, lightly spotted with brown, are laid in a well-concealed grass-lined ground depression. Incubation ranges from 25 to 27 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Greater Sage Grouse: Other grouse within range are smaller, browner, and lack long, pointed tails and black bellies.

Flight Pattern

Rises with rapid wing beats.

Greater Sage-Grouse Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Greater Sage Grouse: Resident from southern Alberta and Saskatchewan south to eastern California, Nevada, Colorado, and South Dakota. Preferred habitats include the open country and sagebrush plains.

^BreedingPromiscuous

^PopulationDeclining

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight112 Ounces

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

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.

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

Greater Sage-Grouse

Breeding Location:

Breeding Type:

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Nest Material:

Migration:

Recommended Products:

General

Range and Habitat

Breeding and Nesting

Foraging and Feeding

Vocalization

Similar Species

Greater Sage-Grouse

Flight Pattern