The male has a pair of yellow inflatable air sacs that make an unusual sound.
A large turkey-like bird that puffs out his chest and fanns his tail into a starburst when performing a spectacular display!
The Greater Sage Grouse has arrived.
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The sagehen (Centrocercus urophasianus), also known as the greater sage-grouse, is a gray-brown bird with a black belly. Males have a black head and throat, as well as a white ruff that surrounds a pair of inflatable, yellow air sacs that make a sound when thrust forward, producing distinctive liquid popping noises during displays.
The female of the species has a dusky cheek patch that is highlighted by white markings behind her eye.
This species’ historical range included 16 U.S. states as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan. However, the Canadian population has decreased by 98 percent since 1988.
The Canadian Governor in Council issued an emergency protection order in 2013 in the hope of saving the species. Also in 2013, the Greater sage grouse became extinct in five U.S. states.
During the winter and fall, the Greater sage-diet grouse’s consists almost entirely of sagebrush leaves and new shoots. Throughout the year, it consumes leaves, flowers, and buds from a wide range of plants. During the summer, it will eat insects on occasion.
Male Great sage-grouse congregate in leks every spring to perform a “strutting display” in which they puff out two yellowish sacs on the neck and fan out their tales. Females observe from a safe distance and then choose the most attractive males with whom to mate.
A week to ten days after selecting a mate, the hen constructs a nest near a lek. She lays six to eight eggs, which she incubates for up to 25 to 27 days. Hatchlings can fly by 2 weeks of age, but they are not fully independent until they are 10 to 12 weeks old.
Due to overhunting, habitat loss, and predation, the Greater sage-grouse is under extreme threat of extinction.
Watch the Greater sage-grouse in action right here below:
H/T Wikipedia – Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
Vivid Greens Pop Beautifully Along With Their Red Eyes, Bill, And Legs, Finished Off On A Bird With A Rather Flashy Zorro Like Mask!
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