Sharp-tailed Grouse

Sharp-tailed Grouse, male, June

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Sharp-tailed Grouse, male displaying

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Sound
4. Range
5. Behavior
6. Reproduction
7. Other Names

A chicken-like bird of open prairies and parklands, the Sharp-tailed Grouse uses a wider variety of habitats than its close relatives the prairie-chickens.

Cool Facts

• Male Sharp-tailed Grouse display to attract females on communal dancing grounds, called leks. The male provides no parental care. A female may visit a lek up to 10 or more times, and she may sample two different leks.

Description

• Size: 41-47 cm (16-19 in)
• Weight: 596-1031 g (21.04-36.39 ounces)

• Medium to large chicken-like bird.
• Spotted brown and white.
• Short, pointed tail, white at base.
• Wings rather long and rounded in flight.

Sex Differences

Sexes similar, male is larger and has pink to purple sacs on sides of neck.

Immature

Similar to adult.

Sound

Clucks. Displaying male makes odd hoots and rattles tail.

Range

Range Map

© 2004 Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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Summer Range

Resident from Alaska to western Quebec, Michigan, and Colorado.

Behavior

Courtship

Multiple males display at group display site, known as a lek.

Reproduction

Condition at Hatching

Downy and able to follow mother.

Other Names

Tétras à queue fine (French)

Sources used to construct this page:

Connelly, J. W., M. W. Gratson, and K. P. Reese. 1998. Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus). In The Birds of North America, No. 354 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.