Nutrition effects productivity of grouse. Females that obtain
high nutrient diets in spring produce larger clutches and larger, more
viable chicks than hens on less nutritious diets. Grouse select high
nutrient foods to help ensure proper nutrition. Reduced productivity
accounted for the decline of sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)
populations in...
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations declined range wide during the past 50 years. Grouse populations were 2-3 times larger than the current population as recently as the early 1970's. In addition to habitat loss and fragmentation, declines were attributed habitat degradation that caused reduced productivity. Because chick survival remains the...
Since settlement of the Intermountain West, sage grouse abundance and productivity has declined and their range has decreased. The decline of sage grouse populations is primarily due to permanent loss and degradation of sagebrush-grassland habitat. Recently, several studies have shown that sage grouse productivity may be limited by the availability...
Two new studies revealed unknown long-distance dispersal and migration movements in sage grouse that offer fresh insights for conservation. Using DNA from feathers dropped at leks, scientists discovered that some grouse (about 1% of populations) travel long distances to explore breeding areas up to 120 miles away—movements that can potentially...
Research evaluating effects of livestock grazing on greater sage-grouse nest survival suggests that a variety of locally-appropriate range management strategies support grouse populations. A new Montana study comparing effects of specialized grazing systems on ranches enrolled in the NRCS-led Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) to ranches not enrolled in SGI grazing...
In recent years the Sage Grouse Initiative, led by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, has worked with many partners to accelerate the mechanical removal of invading conifer trees, primarily junipers, to restore sagebrush habitats in and around sage grouse strongholds across the West. Replicated studies from public and private...
In the northeast part of sage grouse range, 70% of the best habitat is privately owned – and the single greatest threat in this region is cultivation of native sagebrush grazing lands. Scientists assessed lands in eastern Montana, the western Dakotas, and northeast Wyoming to evaluate potential impacts to sage...