Species: Centrocercus urophasianus phaios
Western Sage-Grouse
Species
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
A very large grayish grouse with a blackish belly and long pointed tail feathers; male has yellow eye combs, black throat and bib, large white ruff on breast, and averages larger than the female (NGS 1983).
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Aves
Order
Galliformes
Family
Phasianidae
Genus
Centrocercus
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
tétras des armoises phaios
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Other Birds
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Galliformes - Phasianidae - Centrocercus - USFWS (2010) concluded that the western subspecies is not a valid taxon.
Ecology and Life History
A very large grayish grouse with a blackish belly and long pointed tail feathers; male has yellow eye combs, black throat and bib, large white ruff on breast, and averages larger than the female (NGS 1983).
Migration
true - false - false
Non-migrant
true
Locally Migrant
false
Food Comments
During the winter feeds on sagebrush. At other times of the year feeds on sagebrush as well as leaves, flowers, and buds of associated plants. Also eats insects (e.g., ants and grasshoppers) (Terres 1980). Insects are important in the diet of newly hatched broods. In southeastern Oregon, chicks ate primarily forbs and insects at one site, mostly sagebrush at another site (Drut et al. 1994).
Reproduction Comments
Clutch size averages around 7-8. Incubation lasts 25-27 days, by female. Young are precocial, downy, tended by female, fly when 7-14 days old. Lek breeder; many males may display in a small area. Productivity generally is low; nest failure of 76% reported for Oregon (see Gregg et al. 1993).
Ecology Comments
Males and females gather into flocks in winter, as do broodless hens in early summer (Gregg et al. 1993).
Length
71
Weight
3190
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G3G4T3Q
Global Status Last Reviewed
2005-11-18
Global Status Last Changed
2000-09-14
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.BC=SX&US.OR=S3&US.WA=S1" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
RESIDENT from central and eastern Washington (Ellensburg, Columbia County) south to southeastern Oregon; formerly to southern British Columbia (Osoyoos Lake) (AOU 1957). Populations in most of California and western Nevada are intergrades between subspecies PHAIOS and UROPHASIANUS (Johnsgard 1983), if indeed PHAIOS is worthy of recognition.