Characteristics
 Both the male and female sage grouse have mottled brown, gray and black feathers on their top and sides and a black belly. The male has a black throat and a white chest and a long pointed tail that opens up to a large fan. He also has air sacs in his neck and chest that push his neck and chest feathers up when they are inflated.
Range
 The sage grouse can be found from southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada south to California, Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico.
Habitat
The sage grouse makes its home on open plains and sagebrush plains.
|
|
|
Diet
In the winter, most of the sage grouse's diet is made up of the leaves and shoots of the sagebrush. In the spring, it also eats weeds and grasses.
Life Cycle
 During mating season, male sage grouses gather on a lek or a special display area. While they are there, they strut and display their plumage to attract a mate. The female lays six to nine eggs in a depression in the ground lined with grass. The nest is usually under a bush or other cover. The female incubates and cares for the chicks. The chicks hatch in about three weeks and feed themselves soon after hatching. They eat insects for the first few weeks but soon move on to weeds, grasses and sagebrush. The chicks fledge in about a week.
Behavior
The sage grouse doesn't have a muscular gizzard with grit in it and they can't digest hard foods like seeds.
Image Credits: Clipart.com
|
)
)
)
)