8 April 2016 - Sharp-tailed Grouse

Today I went to see another species of grouse--the sharp-tailed grouse--do their dance. Another early start, this time on the road by 4 am.  These grouse are quite a bit smaller than the greater sage grouse I watched dance last week. Their dance is very different as well. 

As I watched, my first thought was I've seen this same dance at Native American Pow Wows. Both feature a bustle, outspread wings (arms), a bent position with twirling and amazing fancy footwork. Part of the grouses' dance includes stomping on the ground and you can hear their little feet hitting the ground. Just another fabulous day in the life of a birder. 

This is an abbreviated sequence of events. 
First the tail goes up. 

The body flattens out

The wings are extended.

Depending where another male is, he may charge the male, or just twirl where he stands. 

Sometimes small supremacy fights ensue. 

They seem to tire quickly, then they hunker down beak to beak and put out a lot of trash talk. 

Quite a bit of chasing and twirling is involved in the process. So much fun to watch, especially when you can hear all the drumming and stomping. Incredible.