Species & Ecosystem Science

	Lead Scientist: Michael A. Schroeder Ecoregions: Columbia Plateau Ecological Systems: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe, Inter-Mountains Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland, Columbia Plateau Steppe and Grassland, Columbia Basin Foothill and Canyon Dry Grassland, Northern Rocky Mountain Lower Montane - Foothill and Valley Grassland, Columbia Basin Foothill Riparian Woodland and Shrubland
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	Sharp-tailed grouse males congregate on traditional display sites, leks, to display to and breed with females. These males are very dedicated.
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	View of sharp-tailed grouse habitat in Okanogan County. Note the mixture of open shrubsteppe and riparian woodlands/shrublands.
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	Sharp-tailed grouse nest on the ground under herbaceous and shrub cover.
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	The approximate distribution of sharp-tailed grouse in North America (Schroeder 2004).
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	Distribution of sharp-tailed grouse populations in north-central Washington relative to the historical range. Map is modified from Schroeder et al. (2000).

Grouse Ecology

Sharp-tailed Grouse Ecology

Sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) were originally found throughout substantial portions of central and western North America, including a large portion of Canada and Alaska. Although there are 6 subspecies of sharp-tailed grouse in North America, only the Columbian subspecies (T. p. columbianus) is found in Washington. Columbian sharp-tailed grouse were originally distributed from southern British Columbia, through northeastern California, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and western Montana. The current range of sharp-tailed grouse in Washington is restricted to isolated populations in the north-central portion of the state. Remaining populations are within relatively intact habitat including shrubsteppe, meadow steppe, steppe, and riparian shrub, as well as Conservation Reserve Program fields (CRP). The last hunting season was in 1987.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has a goal to recover threatened populations of sharp-tailed grouse in Washington. The state has listed the species as threatened, developed management strategies to improve their habitat, initiated research on their life history requirements, conducted detailed analyses of population genetics throughout the sharp-tailed grouse range, and begun experimental translocations to increase and expand populations. Habitat improvements include the reduction of grazing pressure, transition of cropland (mostly wheat) to grass-dominated habitats (such as in the federally-funded Conservation Reserve Program [CRP]), restoration of native habitat, and planting of key components of winter habitat such as trees and shrubs.

Sharp-tailed grouse males congregate on traditional display sites, called leks, to display to and breed with females. In Washington, a ‘large’ lek may have more than 15 males in attendance during spring. Because these leks are traditional, WDFW conducts annual counts of the number of birds on leks as a way of monitoring rates of population change in the state. Most leks are on private land. It is important for bird watchers to treat private land with respect and avoid disturbing the birds.

Current Research

• Re-establishment of viable populations of sharp-tailed grouse
• Use of lands enrolled in conservation programs by grouse and other species of shrubsteppe wildlife
• Phenotypic and genetic variation in grouse
• Grouse and landscape connectivity

Publications

• Washington State Recovery Plan for the Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse
• Re-establishment of viable populations of sharp-tailed grouse in Washington
  • 2011 Progress Report
  • 2010 Progress Report
  • 2009 Progress Report
  • 2008 Progress Report
• Use of Conservation Reserve Program fields by greater sage-grouse and other shrubsteppe-associated wildlife in Washington state
• Recency, range expansion, and unsorted lineages: implications for interpreting neutral genetic variation in the sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus)
• Sharp-tailed grouse
• Teetering on the edge or too late? Conservation and research issues for avifauna of sagebrush habitats
• Grouse of the Lewis and Clark expedition, 1803-1806
• Grouse of the Lewis & Clark expedition
• Assessing the restoration potential of altered rangeland ecosystems in the Interior Columbia Basin
• Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife’s priority habitat and species management recommendations. Volume IV: Birds
• Altered rangeland ecosystems in the interior Columbia Basin. General Technical Report PNW-GTR-553
• Predation and the management of prairie grouse
• Genetic analysis of Columbian sharp-tailed grouse: A preliminary study
• Changes in the distribution and abundance of Columbian sharp-tailed grouse in Washington
• Washington state status report for the sharp-tailed grouse
• Potential for sharp-tailed grouse management on the Okanogan National Forest, Washington

Wildlife areas with sharp-tailed grouse issues

• Sagebrush Flat Wildlife Area Management Plan
• Scotch Creek Wildlife Area Management Plan
• Sinlahekin Wildlife Area Management Plan
• Swanson Lakes Wildlife Area Management Plan
• Wells Wildlife Area Management Plan

Other Links and Resources

• Sharp-tailed grouse lek in spring snow video
• Sharp-tailed grouse battle video
• Sharp-tailed grouse audio
• Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies – Western Bird Conservation Committee
• Minnesota Sharp-tailed Grouse Society

All photos unless otherwise indicated are courtesy of Michael A. Schroeder