Here you will information about the greater sage-grouse species including size, lifespan, male and female descriptions, diet/feed, and more. Greater sage-grouse are closely tied to sagebrush, much of which has been converted to cropland or degraded. Mating occurs at leks where males display to attract females. Behavior. Dozens of male Greater Sage-Grouse puff their chests and fan their starburst tails like avant-garde turkeys. A displaying male has a tail like a tiny peacock, and a luxurious white ruff of feathers, which looks like a feather boa.. Each spring, at dawn, the sagebrush country of western North America fills with a strange burbling sound and an even stranger sight. Spectacular male display involves fanning tail, inflating yellow air sacs on chest, and thrusting them forward to produce liquid popping noises. Higher-ranking individuals have larger personal space bubbles. Males and females gather into flocks in winter, as do broodless hens in early summer. Males have white breast and black throat. They inflate bulbous yellow air sacs and thrust with their heads to produce weird pops and whistles. Description of the Sage Grouse. Dozens of male Greater Sage-Grouse puff their chests and fan their starburst tails like avant-garde turkeys. When they are not displaying, their chest feathers flatten … Greater Sage-Grouse Centrocercus urophasianus – Status: Endangered; ESA Candidate. They are 21 to 30 inches long, and males weight 5 1/2 pounds, twice as much as females. Climb into a blind with biologist Marc Dantzker to get a first hand look at the drama that unfolds each year on a Greater Sage-Grouse lek. Female greater sage-grouse are thought to base their mating decisions on variation in male sexual displays, and males frequently adopt lateral orientations towards females during these displays (Gibson, 1996, Gibson and Bradbury, 1985, Patricelli and Krakauer, 2010). The dominant males may each attract eight or more females. Greater sage-grouse are notable for their elaborate courtship rituals. A displaying male has a tail like a tiny peacock, and a luxurious white ruff of feathers, which looks like a feather boa.. Appearance: A large chicken-like bird with a spiky tail that blends in with the sagebrush country. Males puff out their chests, raise their wings slightly and fan their pointed tails into a starburst behind them. These Greater Sage-Grouse are the largest North American grouse. Fish and Wildlife Service greater sage-grouse website. Females incubate a clutch of six to nine eggs in a nest on the ground. Although research on the breeding behavior of the Greater Sage-Grouse continues (Young, J. R., J. W. Hupp, J. W. Bradbury and C. E. Braun. The Greater Sage-Grouse is North America's largest grouse, a characteristic feature of habitats dominated by big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) in western North America. Males have a dark grey head, black throat and yellow lores. Males bigger than females and more colorful when mating. Lekking generally happens from late February through May. The Greater Sage-Grouse is well named, for it is quite dependent on sagebrush.