Sharp-tailed Grouse

(Tympanuchus phasianellus)

Conservation Status
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Photo by Bill Reynolds
  IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

     
  NatureServe

N4 - Apparently Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

Species in Greatest Conservation Need

     
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

 

 
     
 

Size

 
 

15 to 20 in length

25 wingspan

 
     
 

Voice

 
 

 

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Oak savanna, grasslands, pastures, fields, bogs, fens, forest clearings

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Migration

 
 

 

 
     
 

Nesting

 
 

 

 
     
 

Food

 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Occurrence

 
 

Locally common year-round resident

 
         
 

Maps

 
 

The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Class Aves (birds)  
 

Order

Galliformes (landfowl)  
 

Family

Phasianidae (pheasants, grouse, and allies)  
  Subfamily Tetraoninae (grouse)  
 

Genus

Tympanuchus (prairie-chickens and sharp-tailed grouse)  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

Alaskan Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus caurus)

Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus)

Great Plains Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus jamesi)

Mackenzie Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus kennicotti)

New Mexico Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus hueyi) (extinct)

Prairie Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus campestris)

Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus phasianellus)

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Pedioecetes phasianellus

 
       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       
Visitor Photos
   

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Bill Reynolds
       

For the past week, this Sharp-tailed Grouse has showed up in the morning for a few hours of foraging under the pines in my yard and then she is gone.

  Sharp-tailed Grouse   Sharp-tailed Grouse
       
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
   
       
       
       

 

Camera

 

     
Slideshows
   
  Sharp-tailed Grouse
Matt Stratmoen
 
  Sharp-tailed Grouse  

 

slideshow

       
Visitor Videos
   

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Other Videos
 
  Dancing Sharp-tails
TJ Cadwalader
 
   
 
About

Published on Dec 1, 2012

A video showing the mating rituals of sharp-tail grouse.

   
       
  Real Angry Birds: Sharp-tailed Grouse Battle
LabofOrnithology
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Apr 26, 2010

Sharp-tailed Grouse square off in intense battles for territory and Breeding rights. These grouse form leks, mating arenas where males meet to compete for territory and attract females. This leads to continual fighting as they strive to outdo each other.

Learn more about Sharp-tailed Grouse on All About Birds: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sharp-tailed_Grouse/id

Explore the Macaulay Library Archive for more video and audio recordings of this species and thousands of others: http://macaulaylibrary.org/index.do

   
       
  Sharptail Grouse Dancing
wdlife
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Mar 26, 2007

Maiting dance of the sharptail grouse just outside of Spooner, Wisconsin

   
       
  Dancing Sharp-Tailed Grouse
MinnesotaDNR
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Apr 22, 2008

How do male sharp-tailed grouse attract their mates? Watch this footage by Blane Klemek. http://mndnr.gov/snapshots/birds/sharptailedgrouse.html

   
       
  Plains Dancer: Alberta's Sharp-tailed Grouse
ConserveAlberta
 
   
 
About

Published on May 8, 2013

The sharp-tailed grouse is a native game bird that makes its home in the prairies, parklands and forest openings of Alberta. For much of the year the sharp-tailed grouse is a quiet, well-camouflaged bird; however, its spring shenanigans are undoubtedly one of the most impressive spectacles in Alberta's natural history calendar.

Sharp-tailed grouse perform spring courtship displays on communal "dancing grounds", called leks. Here males compete for Breeding opportunities by displaying their "dancing" ability to females.

Leks are found in areas with dry open ground, where dancing activity keeps the vegetation well-trampled. Leks are used over several weeks beginning in late March and are often used for years, even decades. They are an important part of sharp-tailed grouse life, and the loss of suitable lek habitat can be a limiting factor for sharp-tailed grouse in Alberta.

Don't Cut In On a Dance
Leks are an integral part of the lifecycle of prairie grouse. Active leks should never be approached, as any disturbance to the birds may disrupt Breeding activities and result in the abandonment of the lek. The locations of active and historical leks are of great interest to grouse biologists. To report a lek, contact Alberta Conservation Association (ACA).

Help Conserve Alberta's Wild Side!
Biologists monitor and survey sharp-tailed grouse to better understand their behaviour, population, distribution and relative abundance. This information helps determine hunting bag limits, but also helps to recover the species in areas where it has declined. You can contribute to this science by working cooperatively with biologists and organizations such as ACA. Together we can make a difference and conserve Alberta's wild side!

For more about ACA's work with sharp-tailed grouse: http://www.ab-conservation.com/go/def...

Contact Us!
Our Mission: ACA conserves, protects and enhances fish, wildlife and habitat for all Albertans to enjoy, value and use.
Toll-free number: 1-877-969-9091
info@ab-conservation.com
www.ab-conservation.com

Video by Mike Jokinen, ACA. Text adapted from "Alberta's Sharp-tailed Grouse" by Liz Saunders.

   
       

 

Camcorder

         
Visitor Sightings
   

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Bill Reynolds
3/9/2018

Location: Pennington Co MN

For the past week, this Sharp-tailed Grouse has showed up in the morning for a few hours of foraging under the pines in my yard and then she is gone.

Sharp-tailed Grouse


     
     
 
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