Sage-grouse Conservation

No other bird better symbolizes Idaho's high desert country than the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). Sage-grouse once were abundant in sagebrush habitats of the western United States and Canada. Unfortunately, the bird and its habitat have declined in abundance.

In Idaho, the top-ranked threats to sage-grouse populations are 1) wildfire, 2) infrastructure development, such as power lines and wind farms, 3) annual grasslands, 4) livestock impacts, 5) human disturbance, 6) West Nile virus, 7) prescribed fire, 8) seeded perennial grasslands, 9) climate change, and 10) conifer encroachment.

Sage-grouse Habitat Requirements

It's basic - sage-grouse need good-quality sagebrush habitat, but without it, they can't survive. Sage-grouse need:

15-25% sagebrush cover for breeding habitat
10-25% sagebrush cover for brood-rearing
15% cover of forbs and perennial grasses
10-30% sagebrush cover in winter
Diet is 99% sagebrush leaves and buds in winter.

Get Involved! Find a LWG in Your Area
Local Working Groups (LWGs) are the heart of Idaho's conservation strategy. Anyone can be a member of a LWG! LWGs provide a forum for people to discuss sage-grouse and habitat issues in their area, share knowledge for local planning, and build support for on-the-ground projects. With the help of OSC grants and other federal and nonfederal matching funds, LWGs have developed and completed over 37 habitat improvement projects for sage-grouse; several more projects are in the works. Habitat improvement projects include reseeding sagebrush and native grasses and forbs after wildfire, and fencing wet meadows and springs to protect and improve late summer brood-rearing habitat.

For more information about LWGs, contact Ann Moser at amoser@idfg.idaho.gov or 208-287-2705.

Unsure about how to distinguish Sage grouse from Sharptails? Check out this video clip of the birds in flight.

Sage or Sharptail?
[PDF, 6.7 MB]

Video clip is provided in WMV file format with size stated in brackets and uses Windows Media Player. Click here to download a free player.