On the brink Declining sage grouse range, population

Greater sage grouse have lost roughly half of their historic range in the West victims of all manner of development and land conversions that have fragmented their sagebrush and grassland habitats. According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the state has lost 1 percent to 2 percent of its sage grouse population each year for the past three decades. The decline was even worse before that.
Current sage grouse range (as of 2009) Historical sage grouse range Gunnison species
LOGAN NEV. CALIF. WASH. MONT.

ORE.

IDAHO WYO.

UTAH COLO.

15

ARIZ. OGDEN Great Salt Lake

N.M.

80

SALT LAKE CITY

VERNAL PROVO

70

MOAB

Gunnison sage grouse

15
0 20 MILES

ST. GEORGE

Greater sage grouse

About the sage grouse

The upland game bird is known for its mating ritual; males inate two gular sacs and erect hairlike black feathers on the back of the neck. Breeding activity occurs on a lek or strutting ground. Males congregate on leks in late February or early March to begin the courtship ritual.
The Salt Lake Tribune

Sources: Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, U.S. Geological Survey