Sharp-tailed Grouse

The Sharp-tailed Grouse are one of the larger prairie grouse. They have sharp-pointed tails which stick straight up when they are displaying.

When displaying, the males point their tails up, spread their wings, hold their heads low, and stamp their feet in a sort of stutter-dance. The Sharp-tailed Grouse is primarily found in more northerly locations than its close cousin, the prairie-chickens.

One of the subspecies, the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, can be found in isolated pockets of Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and British Columbia. While many petitions have been made to get the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse on the endangered species list, it remains only a “species of concern.”