Gunnison Sage-Grouse Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesGunnison Sage-Grouse
Juvenile
Large chubby grouse with a small head and a long tail. Juveniles are mottled brown and black.
© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay LibraryColoradoMale
Large, chubby grouse with a small head and a long tail that is fanned into a starburst when displaying. Males also inflate 2 bare yellow air sacs when displaying.
© Tim Avery / Macaulay LibraryUtahMale
Males perform unique courtship displays on defined mating territories, or leks. Males produce distinctive "plopping" sounds by inflating their specialized neck pouches and quickly jerking their head and wings.
© DAVID BROWN / Macaulay LibraryColorado, April 13, 2009Not all videos have sound
Female
Spends most of the time walking on the ground, only flying when startled or threatened.
© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay LibraryColoradoFemale
Large grouse with a small head and long tail. Females are mottled in browns and blacks with a dark belly. Females are more cryptically colored than males and easily blend into their surroundings.
© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay LibraryColoradoSimilar SpeciesGreater Sage-Grouse
Male
Greater Sage-Grouse are larger than Gunnison Sage-Grouse, with shorter black plumes on the back of the head. The two species do not overlap in range.
© Ben Lagasse / Macaulay LibraryColorado, April 22, 2016Similar SpeciesGreater Sage-Grouse
Female
Female Greater Sage-Grouse are larger than Gunnison Sage-Grouse. The two species' ranges do not overlap.
© Dorian Anderson / Macaulay LibraryColorado, April 05, 2015Similar SpeciesSharp-tailed Grouse
Female
Sharp-tailed Grouse have a slight peaked crest and are light brown overall instead of gray like Gunnison Sage-Grouse. They occur mainly in prairies and open woodland, while sage-grouse live in sagebrush.
© Chris Wood / Macaulay LibraryNorth Dakota, June 15, 2013Similar SpeciesDusky Grouse
Female
Dusky Grouse tend to live in forests rather than sagebrush. They have a shorter, square-tipped tail than Gunnison Sage-Grouse and lack the black belly patch.
© Angus Wilson / Macaulay LibraryColorado, May 22, 2016Similar SpeciesDusky Grouse
Male
Displaying male Dusky Grouse have pink to purple patches on the sides of the neck and an even edge to the tail, unlike the Gunnison Sage-Grouse's yellow chest pouches and pointed, starburst-like tail feathers.
© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay LibraryColorado, April 04, 2014Similar SpeciesSooty Grouse
Female
Sooty Grouse tend to live in forests rather than sagebrush. They have a shorter, square-tipped tail than Gunnison Sage-Grouse and lack the black belly patch. Their ranges do not overlap.
© Alex Lamoreaux / Macaulay LibraryWashington, July 31, 2015Similar SpeciesRing-necked Pheasant
Female
Female Ring-necked Pheasants are buffy-brown overall instead of the gray of Gunnison Sage-Grouse. Pheasants also lack the black belly patch of sage-grouse.
© Chuck Gates / Macaulay LibraryOregon, January 22, 2017Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies(Order: Galliformes, Family: Phasianidae)
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