Centrocercus Minimus
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The Gunnison grouse, Gunnison sage-grouse or lesser sage-grouse (''Centrocercus minimus'') is a species of
grouse Grouse are a group of birds from the order (biology), order Galliformes, in the family (biology), family Phasianidae. Grouse are presently assigned to the Tribe (biology), tribe Tetraonini (formerly the subfamily Tetraoninae and the family Tetr ...
endemic to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. It is similar to the closely related
greater sage-grouse The greater sage-grouse (''Centrocercus urophasianus''), also known as the sagehen, is the largest grouse in North America. Its range is Sagebrush steppe, sagebrush country in the western United States and southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canad ...
(''Centrocercus urophasianus'') in appearance, but about a third smaller in size, with much thicker plumes behind the head; it also has a less elaborate courtship dance. It is restricted in range to southwestern
Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
and extreme southeastern
Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
, with the largest population residing in the Gunnison Basin region in Colorado. Despite being native to a country where the
avifauna Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight ...
is relatively well known, it was overlooked until the 1990s due to the similarities with the sage grouse, and only described as a new species in 2000—making it the first new avian species to be described from the USA since the 19th century. The description of ''C. minimus'' as a separate species is supported by a molecular study of genetic variation, showing that gene flow between the large-bodied and the small-bodied birds is absent.


Breeding

Gunnison sage-grouse are notable for their elaborate courtship rituals. Each spring, males congregate on
leks Lek or LEK may refer to: * Lek mating, of animals * Albanian lek, currency * Lek (magazine), Norway * Lek (pharmaceutical company), now part of Sandoz * Lek (river), Netherlands * De Lek, Netherlands fiefdom * L.E.K. Consulting, firm * Leung ...
and perform a "strutting display". Groups of females observe these displays and select the most attractive males with which to mate. Only a few males do most of the breeding. Males perform on leks for several hours in the early morning and evening during the spring. Leks are generally open areas adjacent to dense
sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus ''Artemisia (plant), Artemisia''. The best-known sagebrush is the shrub ''Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrush is native to the western half of North Amer ...
stands, and the same lek may be used by grouse for decades.


Conservation

This species is in decline because of
loss of habitat Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...
; their range has shrunk. Following petitions, the species was proposed for listing under the
Endangered Species Act The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting and conserving imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of e ...
by the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is a List of federal agencies in the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior which oversees the management of fish, wildlife, ...
, and was eventually protected as a threatened species starting on December 22, 2014. The known population size of this species remains quite small, and it was estimated that fewer than 4,000 individuals existed in when the species was successfully protected under the Act. A 2019 survey found the population in Colorado to be reduced to an estimated 1,800 birds with only around 429 reproductive males, a record low for the species since surveys began.
The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, United States. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in ...
installed more than 750 one-rock dams to improve water retention and enrich habitat conditions for the grouse in a protected area.Nature Conservancy, Gunnison Climate Working Group, Enhanced Resilience of Riparian and Wet Meadow Habitats in the Upper Gunnison Basin, Colorado: Phase II. (Technical Report). Colorado Parks and Wildlifehttps://www.conservationgateway.org/ConservationByGeography/NorthAmerica/UnitedStates/Colorado/Documents/CPW%20Gunnison%20Final%20Report%206-8-2017%20FINAL.pdf (2017)


Distribution

Gunnison sage-grouse occur in seven counties in southwestern Colorado and one county in southeastern Utah. It was once found in
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
,
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
, and
Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
, but is now
extirpated Local extinction, also extirpation, is the termination of a species (or other taxon) in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinctions. Local extinctions mark a chan ...
in those states.


Life cycle

Males gather on the lek or strutting grounds, which are small, open areas where breeding occurs, in late February to April, as soon as the lek is relatively free of snow. Only a few dominant males, usually two, breed. After mating, the hen leaves the lek for the nesting grounds. Clutch size ranges from six to eight eggs; incubation time is 25 to 27 days. Sage-grouse apparently have high rates of nest desertion and nest predation. Chicks are precocial and can feed themselves. Johnsgard, Paul A. (1973). Grouse and quails of North America. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press .


Preferred habitat

Gunnison sage-grouse are totally dependent on
sagebrush Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus ''Artemisia (plant), Artemisia''. The best-known sagebrush is the shrub ''Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrush is native to the western half of North Amer ...
-dominated habitats. Sagebrush is a crucial component of the adult's diet year-round, and they select sagebrush almost exclusively for cover. However, in order to rear a brood of chicks, the young require high protein broadleaved plants and wildflowers that bring insects, also for protein. However, cattle and sheep also relish these plants, and the removal of these critical chick-food plants is a major reason for this bird's decline.


References


External links


Sisk-a-dee Gunnison Sage-Grouse Conservation
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1261158 Gunnison grouse Birds of the Great Basin Endemic birds of the Western United States Gunnison grouse Gunnison grouse Gunnison grouse Gunnison grouse Gunnison grouse Gunnison grouse