For most of the year, greater sage-grouse keep a low profile, blending into their vast sagebrush home across the American West. But come the breeding season, the males suddenly take centre stage – and to spectacular effect.
The fortunes of North America’s largest grouse are intricately tied to the sagebrush ecosystem that once covered one third of the entire land mass of the USA’s lower 48 states.
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Comprising a semi-arid and largely treeless habitat, at altitudes between 1,200m to 2,700m, the terrain is dominated by an array of grasses and drought-resistant perennial shrubs.
The greater sage-grouse is undoubtedly this habitat’s poster bird. The sagebrush offers not just bed for the species, but breakfast too. In the winter, it eats little else, but expands its diet in spring to include insects and other plants.
What do greater sage-grouse look like?
While the females are mottled brown, black and white, befitting a bird that needs to remain unobtrusive while rearing young, the larger, more ostentatious males are an entirely different proposition.
In addition to cryptic body colouration, the males possess a flamboyant ruff of white chest feathers, a spiky starburst of a tail, and distinctive yellow eye-combs.
But these avant-garde turkeys don’t just look exquisite, they sound good, too. And they have an impressive party trick to boot.
What is the greater sage-grouse lek?
In common with many other game birds, the greater sage-grouse is a lekking species, where the male’s elaborate courtship activities are confined to a communal display ground called a lek.
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The same lek will often be used by generations of grouse, and is essentially an arena for a high-stakes male talent show.
Only a minority of contestants will win the ultimate prize – the chance to mate with any suitably impressed females.
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When is the time of year to watch them lek?
March and April, at dawn, are the best months to watch the males strutting their funky stuff.
How big are the leks?
The number of males present at each lek can vary enormously. The average is 16 to 22, but the highest count ever recorded clocked up close to 400.
What happens in a lek?
The male’s display begins with his tail fanned and wings pushed forward, before he then repeatedly gulps in air to inflate the yellow air sacs on his chest – which, up to this point, have remained hidden within the white ruff.
As the air from the bulbous and bouncing air sacs is forcefully released, it creates a series of echoing pops. At the height of the breeding season the males can perform this routine up to 10 times a minute, in sessions lasting three or four hours.
The display can also be accompanied by a gentle swishing sound, as the bird rubs its wings across its stiff chest feathers.
Intensely territorial on the lek, the males stoutly defend their few square metres from potential interlopers. When rival males do come together, a stand-off usually ensues: they crouch, while simultaneously producing a low clucking sound.
If neither backs down, things can quickly turn physical as each contender attempts to drive away his opponent with battering wings. However, serious injury rarely occurs during these interactions.
As with many lekking species, only one or two dominant males mate with the majority of females, with the sidelined males reduced to little more than a watching brief.
Ultimately, it’s the females that make the mating decisions. At one lek, a researcher observed a single male mating with 37 receptive females in just one morning, with 23 of those at the rate of one a minute.
Once mating is complete, the females nest under the protective canopy of the sagebrush, often a few kilometres from the lek site.
Greater sage-grouse females lay six to nine eggs. Chicks are vulnerable to predators and weather, with fewer than half of the males surviving long enough to fight for a patch of real estate on the lek where they were initially conceived.
Sadly, habitat loss, the erection of large structures and fences, the introduction of invasive species and climate change have all contributed to the greater sage-grouse’s timeless strut exiting stage left at many sites.
But as the species’ ecology is now well understood, it’s not too late to see the grouse, with our help, re-entering the lek, this time, from stage right.
Where are the best places to watch the lek?
There are plenty of locations around North America to go grouse-watching. If you do go, the best scenario is to use a blind or hide. Otherwise, use binoculars and scopes to keep a distance – if the birds start acting nervously, you’re too close. Staying quiet is also imperative. If you’re in a vehicle, avoid slamming doors or making any quick movements.
Long Valley, near Mammoth Lakes, California
Accessible leks are viewable through the Eastern Sierra Audubon Society on land owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), off Highway 395.
The Golden Triangle, Wyoming
Situated north of Farson and bordered by Highways 28 and 191, the 150,000ha of pristine sagebrush here has the highest density of greater sage-grouse in the world.
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Idaho
Part of Idaho’s Pioneers-to-Craters Landscape, the reserve has an 11km loop road, offering the chance to watch from the comfort of your four-wheel drive.
American Prairie, near Malta, northeast Montana
Habitat on this 213,000ha site is actively managed for grouse, with the aim of expanding the reserve by combining private and public lands. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks can help you locate viewable leks.
Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska
This reserve provides critical habitat for greater sage-grouse, plus opportunities to look for sharp-tailed grouse and greater prairie-chickens.
Top image: a male greater sage-grouse leks. Credit: Kerry Hargrove/Getty Images
