Gunnison sage-grouse

Scientific name: Centrocercus minimus

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Males are larger with blackish bodies, white breasts, and distinctive iridescent purple neck sacs; females are mottled gray-brown with scaled plumage. Both sexes show white belly patches and rounded tail feathers.

Size and weight

Males 48–56 cm, 1.0–1.3 kg; females 43–48 cm, 0.7–0.9 kg.

Habitat

Gunnison sage-grouse occupy high-elevation sagebrush plateaus and semi-arid valleys between 2,100–2,700 m, requiring dense big sagebrush interspersed with native grasses and forbs for cover and food.

Distribution

Found exclusively in south-central Colorado and east-central Utah within a fragmented range of fewer than 20 isolated populations, restricted to high sagebrush basins with minimal human disturbance.

Diet

Year-round sagebrush leaves form the diet base; birds supplement with forbs, insects, and seeds seasonally, relying heavily on sagebrush through winter when other foods are scarce.

Behaviour

Primarily diurnal, birds feed in early morning and late afternoon in open sagebrush. They roost on the ground within dense sage clumps at dusk and are highly gregarious outside breeding season, forming flocks of 10–100+ birds.

Hunting tips

Glass open sagebrush flats during dawn and dusk when birds feed in the open; approach using terrain folds and sage ridges to mask movement. Mark flushed birds and stalk slowly through dense patches where coveys hold; listen for soft clucks and whirring wing sounds in early morning to locate concentrations.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 1 country in Huntify.

United States

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.