General

Sharp-tailed Grouse: Medium-sized grouse with lightly barred brown upperparts and white underparts dotted with chevrons. Head has short crest, yellow-orange eye comb, and pink or violet neck patch exposed when displaying. Tail is pointed and white-edged. Female lacks neck patch.

Range and Habitat

Sharp-tailed Grouse: Resident from Alaska east to Hudson Bay and south to Utah, northeastern New Mexico, and Michigan. Found in brushlands, grasslands, sagebrush, woodland edges, brushy prairies, cleared farmlands, bogs, river canyons, and boreal forest edges.

Breeding and Nesting

Sharp-tailed Grouse: Five to seventeen light brown eggs spotted with red-brown and lavender are laid in a ground depression lined with grass, leaves, and feathers. Incubation ranges from 21 to 24 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Sharp-tailed Grouse: Feeds on forbs, grass, and insects. In winter, eats berries, buds, and catkins of deciduous trees and shrubs.

Vocalization

Sharp-tailed Grouse: Makes chattering noises and a soft "coo-oo." Utters bold booming notes during breeding season.

Similar Species

Sharp-tailed Grouse: Greater Prairie Chicken has barred underparts and shorter, squared tail.