One of North America’s spectacular dancing grouse species, the Sharp-tailed Grouse gathers at open display grounds known as leks on spring mornings. Females watch intently as males bend low to the ground, raise their pointed tails skyward, and stamp their feet so fast they become a blur, all while inflating purplish air sacs to make quiet cooing noises. The rest of the year, these plump birds forage in grasslands, open fields, bogs, and forest or woodland, where they take to the trees to nibble buds and berries.
Sharp-tailed Grouse forage both on the ground and in trees. On the ground they peck at seeds, grains, and insects; in trees they feed on buds, flowers, and berries. They fly strongly between roosting and feeding areas, which can be several miles apart. Males gather on courtship grounds called leks, where they perform rapid-stepping displays, call, and often fight.
