Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse
Encyclopedia
The Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) is a subspecies
of Sharp-tailed Grouse
native to the Western United States
and British Columbia
.
-shaped tail. Males have a longer tail, a purple throat patch and a yellow comb
over the eye.
south through eastern Washington and Oregon
to Northeastern California
, Nevada
, and Utah
, and then west to the Continental Divide
. It inhabits sagebrush
-bunchgrass prairies, meadow-steppe
, mountain shrub, and riparian zones. It was first described by the Lewis and Clark expedition, and was named by George Ord
.
.
The Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse was petitioned to be listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act
twice, but was denied in both cases. It is currently considered a Species of Concern
in several U.S. states.
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of Sharp-tailed Grouse
Sharp-tailed Grouse
The Sharp-tailed Grouse, Tympanuchus phasianellus , is a medium-sized prairie grouse. It is also known as the sharptail, and is known as "fire grouse" or "fire bird" by Native American Indians due to their reliance on brush fires to keep their habitat open.-Taxonomy:The Greater Prairie-chicken,...
native to the Western United States
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
and British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
Description
Out of the seven subspecies of Sharp-tailed Grouse, the Columbian is the smallest at 15–20 inches (38–51 cm) in length. They have plumage with a base of grayish-brown, white and black markings, and a white wedgeWedge
Wedge may refer to:Mathematics:* Triangular prism, a parallel triangle wedge* Wedge , a polyhedral solid defined by two triangles and three trapezoid faces* Wedge product, a mathematical term, named for the ∧ operator symbol used...
-shaped tail. Males have a longer tail, a purple throat patch and a yellow comb
Comb (anatomy)
Anatomically, a comb is a fleshy growth, caruncle, or crest on the top of the head of gallinaceous birds, most notably turkeys, pheasants, and domestic chickens...
over the eye.
Distribution and habitat
Its historical range extended from British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
south through eastern Washington and Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
to Northeastern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, and Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, and then west to the Continental Divide
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
. It inhabits sagebrush
Sagebrush
Sagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
-bunchgrass prairies, meadow-steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
, mountain shrub, and riparian zones. It was first described by the Lewis and Clark expedition, and was named by George Ord
George Ord
George Ord was an American ornithologist.Ord was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father was a rope maker and Ord joined him in the business, continuing after his father's death in 1806...
.
Status and conservation
Due to excessive hunting and habitat loss, it is no longer present in the majority of its range, and exists only in isolated remnant populations that comprise less than ten percent of its original habitat. These populations are sequestered in central British Columbia, southeastern Idaho and northern Utah, and northwestern Colorado and south-central Wyoming. It was extirpated entirely from Oregon by the 1960s, but was reintroduced in Wallowa County beginning in 1991; a small population of the birds now persists in the Leap Area of Zumwalt PrairieZumwalt Prairie
Zumwalt Prairie is a grassland area located in Wallowa County in northeast Oregon, United States. Measuring , much of the land is used for agriculture, with some portions protected as the Zumwalt Prairie Preserve owned by The Nature Conservancy...
.
The Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse was petitioned to be listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
twice, but was denied in both cases. It is currently considered a Species of Concern
Species of Concern
In wildlife conservation, Species of Concern is an informal term, not defined in the federal Endangered Species Act. The term commonly refers to species that are declining or appear to be in need of concentrated conservation actions. Many agencies and organizations maintain lists of these at-risk...
in several U.S. states.
External links
- video from Oregon Field GuideOregon Field GuideOregon Field Guide is a weekly television program produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting focusing on recreation, the outdoors, and environmental issues in the state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon zeitgeist, it is produced and hosted by Steve Amen...
about reintroduction efforts in the state