greater sage-grouse. In fact, new 2013 research by USGS sage grouse scientist Stephen Knick shows that 99 percent of active leks (breeding areas) are in areas with less than 3 percent of development. In 2015, four states – Montana, Wyoming, Nevada and Colorado -- crafted a plan along with the federal government (Bureau of Land Management) to protect the Sage-grouse. The birds lack a strong gizzard, therefore, their diet consists mainly of soft foods. It is the largest grouse species found in North America. Temporal Variation in Diet and Nutrition of Preincubating Greater Sage-Grouse Michael A. Gregg,1 Jenny K. Barnett,2 and John A. Crawford3 Authors are 1Wildlife Biologist, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Burbank, WA 99323, USA; 2Wildlife Biologist, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Pendleton, OR 97801, USA; … Sage grouse do best with very little human disturbance. Ants and On occasion it will also eat flowers, buds, and insects. Their favorite food is sagebrush, but they also eat dandelion, and a variety of grasses. Diet: Their diet includes sagebrush plants and some insects. Sagebrush is a group of woody shrubs Within the white breast feathers of the male Greater Sage-Grouse, there are two large air sacs that are inflated and deflated as part of a spectacular mating display. Diets and food selection of sage grouse chicks in Oregon. Diet The greater sage-grouse is omnivorous, eating both soft plants and insects. Young sage grouses eat more insects, and gradually move over to an herbivorous diet. High protein insects are critical to the diet of chicks in their first month of life. In the spring, it will also eat weeds and grasses. The greater sage grouse population has shrunk due to habitat loss and fragmentation, and it is a candidate for Endangered Species Act Protection by US Fish and Wildlife. Literature Cited Drut, M. S., W. H. Pyle, and J. For example since 2002, the Greater Sage-grouse population has declined by half in Montana. Diet of the Sage Grouse. They eat leaves, flowers, buds, and other soft plant parts. However, within a species, smaller plant height and lower concentrations of phytochemicals, specifically two individual monoterpenes, explained diet selection by sage-grouse. Throughout much of the year, adult sage-grouse rely on sagebrush to provide roosting cover and food. Diet. The greater sage grouse feeds primarily on various plant materials, most commonly sagebrush leaves and shoots during the fall and winter. 1994. The Greater Sage-Grouse is a large ground-dwelling bird that has finely marked brown, black, beige and white upper parts, a black belly, and a long pointed tail. Because of this need to feed on sagebrush in winter Greater Sage-grouse are the only grouse in North America that migrates. Journal of Range Management 47:90-93. A. Crawford. Especially during the winter, sagebrush makes up nearly all of their diet. Sagebrush, grasses, “forbs” (non-woody flowering plants), and insects comprise the annual diet of sage grouse. Knick looked at 3,000 leks within a 355,000 square-mile portion of the sage grouse historic range. During the winter, greater sage grouse feed almost exclusively on sagebrush. Greater sage-grouse occupy approximately 56% of their historical range Diet One of the most interesting aspects about the greater sage-grouse is its nearly complete reliance on sagebrush. By knowing what a sage-grouse eats and when, we can determine what we need to do to maintain and improve populations and their habitats. ... especially in the winter when sagebrush leaves comprise 99% of its diet. The Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), North America’s largest grouse, is a ground-feeding upland bird the size of a chicken. 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