So what do sage grouse actually eat? More grouse, more remote. Their crop is a little larger than a golf ball when it’s full. Greater sage grouse will also use edges of wheat and alfalfa fields near shrubsteppe habitat. While young, they feed on ants, grasshoppers, spiders, beetles, and more. How do sage grouse live? In winter months, sage grouse rely on sagebrush. Sage grouse gather around small holes to eat dirt Monday, Feb. 9, 2015 near Pinedale. Each year, fields of sage turn into cropland, decimating the most vital food and cover source for sage grouse. They eat soft plants, primarily big sagebrush. The Gunnison sage-grouse is a species of sage-grouse found south of the Colorado River in Colorado and Utah. Female birds nest on the ground under the shrub and seek cover from predators and weather beneath it. The greater (northern) sage grouse is the most common grouse species in Nevada and is found throughout the west. During the winter, greater sage grouse feed almost exclusively … This can prove to be their Achille’s heel. The Sage Grouse is best known for the spectacular courtship displays of the males: Large numbers (up to 70 or more) will gather in spring on traditional dancing grounds and strut with For more information, see the Fish and Wildlife Service’s website on Gunnison Sage-Grouse. Sage grouse eat 100 percent sagebrush leaves in the winter. Colorado is home to two species of sage-grouse the Gunnison sage-grouse, and the Greater sage-grouse. More than one person told us we were masochists. Second, the birds need to be relatively undisturbed. Sagebrush, grasses, “forbs” (non-woody flowering plants), and insects comprise the annual diet of sage grouse. It was known as essentially the savvy grouse until the Gunnison sage-grouse was perceived as a different animal groups in 2000. They need to fill their crops – the food storage sack in their throat — full of leaves every day. Since they can only eat softer foods, sage grouse like leafy greens, dandelions, and insects. The current rangewide population is estimated at 5,000 birds across the eight population areas. They eat leaves, flowers, buds, and other soft plant parts. It is currently protected as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.. Another year passed and Hubbie decided to accept a Masters position studying the effects of a power transmission line on greater sage-grouse in Eastern Nevada. I said I needed to do this, to prove that I belong in that backcountry again without getting hurt. Dozens of male Greater Sage-Grouse puff their chests and fan their starburst tails like avant-garde turkeys. Each spring, at dawn, the sagebrush country of western North America fills with a strange burbling sound and an even stranger sight. However, due to diminishing habitat of slow growing sagebrush due to development, fire, invasive weeds and other factors, an effort is being made to list the sage grouse as an endangered species. Sage grouse are herbivores. In 2014, the Gunnison sage-grouse was listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Humans have hunted this grouse species for many years, and recently birdwatchers have also taken interest in the sage grouse. Big sagebrush is essential to the lives of sage grouse. It nests on the ground among the sage, and the leaves of this plant are its staple diet in winter. The more prominent sage-grouse, otherwise called the sagehen, is the biggest grouse (a kind of bird) in North America. Sage Grouse and Human Interaction. They inflate bulbous yellow air sacs and thrust with their heads to produce weird pops and whistles. Well-named, this very large grouse is found nowhere except in sagebrush country of the west. Resources for Sage-Grouse Management Quick facts. 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