Sage Grouse

The native sage grouse of the shrub-steppe lands of eastern Washington depend upon their brown, black, and white coloring for camouflage. Unlike many types of birds, sage grouse live primarily on the ground. They are omnivores, eating plants and insects that live and grow under sagebrush and other shrubs and grasses in the shrub-steppe.  

• While they may move short distances of a few miles, sage grouse are permanent residents and primarily spend their lives in the same place.
• Sage grouse have a very elaborate courtship ritual, the males perform a strutting display which can last for hours, visiting traditional "leks," or courtship display areas, where they puff up big and beautiful for the females, like the grouse in the photo.
• Unlike other types of grouse that eat many varieties of nuts and seeds, sage grouse cannot digest hard seeds. 

The importance of sage brush and Washington's remaining shrub-steppe

Due to their high dependence on sagebrush for survival, sage grouse are highly dependent on shrub-steppe for survival, they are unable to live in areas without a stable sagebrush population for food and protection. Growing towns, highways, and agricultural lands have invaded open shrub-steppe lands, leaving the sage grouse with a mere 8% of their historical range in Washington.  The map shows historic range of in red, reduced to current range in green. As you can see, Washington's green has shrunk drastically.

From 1970 to 2003, sage grouse populations dropped by 62%, to slightly more than 1,000 birds divided into two isolated populations. About two-thirds of the sage grouse are located in Douglas and Grant counties, while the others are located near Kittitas and Yakima. Neither population is large enough to be sustainable long term. Biologists  estimate 3,200 as the minimum viable population of sage grouse to make it in the long term. 

For several years it has been debated if the sage grouse should be federally listed as threatened or endangered. The decision has been put off for a variety of reasons, including want for more study of this glorious bird. A decision is expected sometime in 2010.