| Precocial strutting in sage grouse | GULLION, GORDON W. | 1957 |
Precocial strutting in sage grouseKeywordsNo keywords available AbstractNo abstract available AuthorsGULLION, GORDON W. Year Published1957 PublicationThe Condor: Ornithological Applications Locations |
| Sarcocystis rileyi in Sage Grouse | SALT, WR | 1958 |
KeywordsNo keywords available AbstractNo abstract available AuthorsSALT, WR Year Published1958 PublicationThe Journal of Parasitology LocationsDOI10.2307/3274418 |
| A note on the food of sage grouse in the Madeline Plains area of California | LEACH, HOWARD R. | 1958 |
A note on the food of sage grouse in the Madeline Plains area of CaliforniaKeywordsNo keywords available AbstractEighty-five sage grouse stomachs were collected September 3-4, 1955 from hunter-killed birds. Of the total volume of food, 98.2% was vegetable origin and 1.8% was animal. Flowers and buds of Lactuca scariola made up 50%, and Artemisia tridentata leafage and flowers amounted to 31.6% of the total. The bulk of animal food consisted of ants. || ABSTRACT AUTHORS: C. M. Ferrel AuthorsLEACH, HOWARD R.; BROWNING, BRUCE M. Year Published1958 PublicationCalifornia Fish And Game Locations |
| Observations on the Breeding Biology of Male Sage Grouse | Eng, R. L. | 1963 |
KeywordsNo keywords available AbstractEighty-eight
male
sage
grouse
(Centrocercus
urophasianus)
were
collected
throughout
the
1959
strutting
season.
Testis
development
of
adult
and
subadult
males
was
compared
to
observed
seasonal
breeding
sequence.
Subadult
males
appear
on
the
strutting
grounds
after,
and
cease
strutting
activities
before,
adult
males.
These
differences
in
apparent
breeding
activity
between
the
two
age-
classes
are
supported
by
similar
differences
in
testis
development.
Observations
of
infertility
in
late
clutches
suggest
that
a
limitation
to
renesting
is
imposed
by
the
male. AuthorsEng, R. L. Year Published1963 PublicationThe Journal of Wildlife Management LocationsDOI10.2307/3798497 |
| Age and Sex of Sage Grouse from Wings | Crunden, C. W. | 1963 |
KeywordsNo keywords available AbstractA
technique
is
described
for
determining
age
and
sex
of
sage
grouse
(Centrocercus
uropha-
sianus)
from
wings
collected
during
August
and
September
hunting
seasons.
Easily
discernible
pri-
mary
molt
characteristics
(retention
of
primaries
1
and
2
in
juveniles
and
the
difference
in
length
of
primaries
2
and
3
between
adults
and
juveniles
when
primary
3
has
not
yet
molted)
have
been
com-
bined
with
four
basic
wing
measurements
in
an
age
and
sex
key.
The
relatively
slow
method
of
measuring
primaries
with
a
ruler
is
replaced
by
a
measuring
board
with
a
backstop
and
three
lines
scribed
across
its
face
for
use
with
the
age
and
sex
key.
Wings
are
measured
in
a
flat
and
straightened
position
from
the
skin-covered
wrist
joint
to
the
tip
of
the
desired
primary
and
compared
to
the
appropriate
lines
on
the
measuring
board.
Statistics
estimating
the
probability
of
misclassification
for
each
of
the
four
measurement
categories
are
given AuthorsCrunden, C. W. Year Published1963 PublicationThe Journal of Wildlife Management LocationsDOI10.2307/3798498 |
| Ecology, productivity and management of sage grouse in Idaho. | Dalke, P. D. | 1963 |
Ecology, productivity and management of sage grouse in Idaho.KeywordsNo keywords available AbstractA study of the seasonal movements, productivity, and management of sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) was undertaken by the Idaho Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit from August, 1952, to May, 1960, on an area in Fremont and Clark counties in Idaho, directly west of Yellowstone National Park. Nineteen individual strutting grounds 1/10-10 acres in size were located along 12 miles of the Red Road. Summer brood range was found to be 13-27 miles north and northeast of the Red Road strutting grounds. Flocks of sage grouse began migrating west and southwest in October and November and traveled 30-50 miles, depending upon the depth of the snow. Winter concentrations were usually found where snow was less than 6 inches deep. Dispersal and return east and northeast to the breeding grounds began in late winter for a yearly round trip of 50-100 miles. The number of adult males increased quickly on strutting grounds, and the peak of breeding occurred April 7-21. Strutting grounds were abandoned early in May if there was a high ratio of adults to subadults. A late season peak of subadult males was often seen on strutting grounds after all other grouse had departed. Interstrutting movements of adult males varied from 22 to 53 percent and up to 4.3 miles from original banding sites. Sexing criteria included plumage differences on chin, throat, breast, undertail coverts, and minor marginal tectrices; size of feet; wing length and length of primaries; weights of adults. Identification of gonads provided the only ready internal diagnostic characteristics of sex. Aging criteria included measurement of bursa, and characteristics of outer two primaries, second primary covert, undertail coverts, and sternum. The mandible test is not reliable for adult sage grouse. The high counts of males on strutting grounds has provided a reasonably accurate method of determining breeding population trends. The method may be as much as 20 percent conservative because of cocks which are not on strutting grounds. The reproductive potential cannot be fully assessed without knowledge of the relative proportion of adult to subadult females. Ovulated-follicle counts as a measure of the number of eggs laid are unreliable, but are useful in determining the relative laying effort between yearlings and adult females. Adverse weather during hatching appreciably lowered number of grouse available for fall hunting. Brood census on summer range is useful in determining reproductive success and is reliable until the third week in July, when brood structure begins to deteriorate. AuthorsDalke, P. D.; Pyrah, D. B.; Stanton, D. C.; Crawford, J. E.; Schlatterer, E. F. Year Published1963 PublicationJournal of Wildlife Management Locations |
| Food Habits of Juvenile Sage Grouse | KLEBENOW, DA | 1968 |
KeywordsNo keywords available AbstractThis study indicated the importance of forbs to sage grouse chicks. Only during the first week of a sage grouse's life did insects predominate in the diet. After that week, forbs became the most important food. Shrubs were taken in small amounts at first but progressively increased in importance as the chicks grew older. In sage grouse management, it is important that we recognize that forbs are a necessary part of the habitat. AuthorsKLEBENOW, DA; GRAY, GM Year Published1968 PublicationJournal of Range Management LocationsDOI10.2307/3896359 |
| Sage Grouse Nesting and Brood Habitat in Idaho | KLEBENOW, DA | 1969 |
KeywordsNo keywords available AbstractThreetip sagebrush (Artemisia tripartita) and big sagebrush (A. tridentata) were the dominant species of shrubs on the sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) study area in southeastern Idaho. Ninety-one percent of the nests were associated with threetip sagebrush, a greater association than with any other species. Conversely, 83 percent of the broods were on sites containing big sagebrush. In the nesting habitat, threetip sagebrush was short-8 inches average-and grouse preferred to nest under the taller plants. Bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) was a taller species they sometimes used. No nests were found where shrub cover was greater than 35 percent. Only three of 98 broods were discovered in areas with greater than 31 percent shrubby cover. The most dense stands of sagebrush were not used, probably because few or none of the forbs the young grouse fed upon were present. As the summer progressed, broods moved up in elevation following a gradient of green food plants. A stepwise discriminant function analysis was made of the data, in an unsuccessful attempt to develop a means of discriminating between nesting vs. non-nesting areas, and brood vs. non-brood habitat. The analyses only pointed out the most significant variables. AuthorsKLEBENOW, DA Year Published1969 PublicationThe Journal of Wildlife Management LocationsDOI10.2307/3799390 |
| Sagebrush Control Related to Habitat and Sage Grouse Occurrence | MARTIN, NS | 1970 |
KeywordsNo keywords available AbstractThe
effects
of
chemical
manipulation
of
big
sagebrush
(Artemisia
tridentata)
on
sage
grouse
(Centrocercus
urophasianus)
were
studied
in
Montana
during
the
summers
of
1962
through
1964.
The
principal
study
was
conducted
on
1,900
acres,
of
which
1,710
had
been
strip-sprayed
in
1961
with
2,4-D.
Vegetation
analyses
revealed
about
80
percent
grasses
and
20
percent
forbs
in
the
sprayed
strip,
and
60
percent
grasses
and
40
percent
forbs
in
the
unsprayed
strip.
Eight
and
97
percent
of
the
individual
big
sagebrush
plants
were
entirely
dead
in
the
unsprayed
and
sprayed
strip,
respectively.
Only
4
percent
of
415
sage
grouse
observations
were
made
on
the
sprayed
strips
of
the
1,900-acre
study
area.
Canopy
coverage
of
herbaceous
vegetation
at
137
sage
grouse
locations
consisted
of
ap-
proximately
60
percent
grasses
and
40
percent
forbs.
Ninety-two
percent
of
the
big
sagebrush
plants
evaluated
at
grouse
locations
were
living.
The
similarity
of
vegetation
at
grouse
locations
and
in
the
unsprayed
strip
led
to
the
conclusion
that
differences
in
numbers
of
sage
grouse
observed
in
sprayed
and
unsprayed
strips
were
related
to
vegetation
composition.
Measurements
of
big
sagebrush
at
159
grouse
locations
showed
young
broods
using
areas
having
a
lesser
density
and
lower
percent
crown
coverage
than
older
broods
and
adults.
Analysis
of
35
sage
grouse
crops
revealed
that
sagebrush
and
three
forbs
together
constituted
94.6
percent
of
the
total
volume.
Dandelion
(Taraxacum
officinale)
and
sagebrush
had
the
greatest
total
frequency
of
occurrence
of
all
food
items.
Favored
food
plants
were
more
abundant
in
the
unsprayed
than
in
the
sprayed
strip,
supporting
the
conclusion
that
differ-
ences
in
numbers
of
sage
grouse
observed
in
unsprayed
and
sprayed
strips
were
related
to
vegeta-
tion
composition. AuthorsMARTIN, NS Year Published1970 PublicationThe Journal of Wildlife Management LocationsDOI10.2307/3799015 |
| THE FOOD HABITS AND SUMMER DISTRIBUTION OF JUVENILE SAGE GROUSE IN CENTRAL MONTANA | PETERSON J G | 1970 |
KeywordsNo keywords available AbstractThe food habits of juvenile sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) were studied in central Montana during the summers of 1966 and 1968. Forbs averaged 75 percent of the diet of 127 juveniles through 12 weeks of age. The flower buds and leaves of common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and common salsify (Tragopogon dubius) were the most highly preferred and utilized forbs, comprising 25 and 15 percent of the diets, respectively. Other forbs commonly utilized were prairie pepperweed (Lepidium densiflorum), prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola), alfalfa (Medicago sativa), curlcup gumweed (Grindelia squarrosa), and fringed sagewort (Artemisia frigida). Big sagebrush (A. tridentata) received little use until the birds were 11 weeks old. Insect use declined steadily from a high of 60 percent of the diet in 1-week chicks to 5 percent in 12-week-old juveniles. Observed brood locations, after chicks were 2-3 weeks old, were less frequent on the sagebrush-grassland benches and more frequent on lower areas until, by September, the majority of broods were located on bottomlands. Sagebrush, 6-18 inches high, was most prevalent at brood sites used during morning and evening activity periods. Important components of juvenile sage grouse habitat in this area appear to be an abundance and diversity of forbs and densities of sagebrush ranging from 1-20 percent. AuthorsPETERSON J G Year Published1970 PublicationJournal of Wildlife Management LocationsDOI10.2307/3799502 |
