Sage Grouse

Admired for its elaborate breeding displays and treasured as a game bird, the Greater Sage-Grouse is a charismatic symbol of the broad open spaces in western North America. Unfortunately these birds have declined across much of their range—which stretches across 11 western states and reaches into Canada—mostly due to loss of critical sagebrush habitat. Today the Greater Sage-Grouse is at the center of a complex conservation challenge. This multifaceted volume, an important foundation for developing conservation strategies and actions, provides a comprehensive synthesis of scientific information on the biology and ecology of the Greater Sage-Grouse. Bringing together the experience of thirty-eight researchers, it describes the bird’s population trends, its sagebrush habitat, and potential limitations to conservation, including the effects of rangeland fire, climate change, invasive plants, disease, and land uses such as energy development, grazing, and agriculture.

Richly illustrated with photographs by award-winning nature photographer Noppadol Paothong, and accompanied by the text of accomplished natural history writer Kathy Love, this book tells the story of the sage-grouse, its habitat in the vast Sagebrush Sea of the Intermountain West, and the threats faced by both. Although the sage-grouse once flourished in many Western US states and provinces of Canada, in the past century its populations have diminished drastically. Today, fewer than 400,000 sage-grouse remain, and conservative legislation challenging the preservation of public wild lands increasingly threatens the sage- grouse. This book is designed not only to build awareness on the issues threatening the sage-grouse, but to stimulate and inspire readers to join the fight for environmental conservation and wilderness preservation. Bird lovers, nature enthusiasts, and residents of the American West will delight in viewing the beauty of the sage-grouse and emerge with a deeper sense of the many interests affecting the sagebrush ecosystem and the conservation efforts being implemented. This book is one of the most visually stunning and comprehensive documentations of one of the most iconic species of the United States, great for Bird lovers, nature enthusiasts, students, and residents of the American West.

"Here's everything one needs to know about sage-grouse, but it's much more than that. From the probing analyses of sage-grouse biology, one gains a broader understanding the ecology and conservation imperatives of sagebrush habitats throughout the West."—John A. Wiens, Chief Conservation Science Officer, PRBO Conservation Science "The threats facing Sage-grouse and the sagebrush habitats of the West are as vast as the landscape itself. Anyone’s foray into confronting this monumental conservation challenge should begin in the pages of this book.”-Ben Deeble, Sagebrush-Steppe Project Leader

"This Technical Note is primarily a review of literature on the fundamental habitat requirements of sage grouse and habitat management methods that may be used to perpetuate the species. It does not reiterate the life history, past distribution, species characteristics, and population dynamics"--Page 1.

The ten currently recognized species of grouse in North America have played an important role in America’s history, from the famous but ill-fated heath hen, a primary source of meat for the earliest New England immigrants, to the ruffed grouse, currently one of the most abundant and soughtafter upland game birds in more than 40 states and provinces. This book summarizes the ecology, reproductive biology, and social behavior of all ten of the extant North American grouse species. It also describes the current status of grouse populations, some of which are perilously close to extinction. The social behavior of grouse is of special biological interest because among these ten species there is a complete mating system spectrum, from seasonally monogamous pair-bonding to highly promiscuous mating patterns. The latter group illustrates the strong structural and behavioral effects of sexual selection resulting from nonmonogamous mating. These influences reach a peak in the development by some grouse species of engaging in mating “leks,” arena-like competitions performed by males while attempting to attract fertile females, and also provide opportunities for females to select optimum mating partners. These sexual competitions also promote strong differences evolving in sexual signaling behaviors (“displays”) among closely related species. Nevertheless, a relatively high incidence of mating errors and resulting hybridization often occurs in spite of these marked behavioral differences. In addition to a text of 101,000 words, the book includes 16 range maps, 37 line drawings, and 38 photographs by the author, as well as nearly 1,400 literature citations.