--Exerpts taken from WDNR publication The Sharp-Tailed Grouse (PUBL-WM-135 86)
Photo Credit Peter
Michaelsen
The Sharp-tailed grouse is native to Wisconsin's prairies and is currently found only in isolated areas of the state. Generally, they are found in areas of relatively open prairie-savanna or extensive brush. It closely resembles the greater prairie chicken and ring-necked pheasant, but has a distinctive pointed tail edged with white. The sharp-tail's body feathers are extensively speckled with white, buff, tawny brown and black, giving it a mottled appearance. Conspicuous whit spots cover the wings, and the amount of white increases toward the breast and flanks which are intricately patterned with V-shaped brown markings. The middle pair of tail feathers are also elaborately marked with brown and black and, in male grouse, are elongated during the spring and summer.
Males and females are nearly identical in plumage and size. Adult sharp-tails are 16-18 inches long and weigh about 2 pounds. The main difference between the sexes is the pale violet patches of bare skin on the sides of the male's head and yellow headcombs above the eyes. Usually inconspicuous the patches and headcombs are expanded during the male's courtship display.
The Sharp-tail breeding ritual is elaborate. During the fall males set up territories on which they will perform their courtship displays the following spring. Beginning in April, the males and females gather on these grassy openings, called dancing grounds. Often, the grounds are elevated areas in wild hay meadows, marshes, and abandoned or cultivated fields. Twice a day, in early morning and evening, male sharptails gather to preform their courtship dance. First they advertise their locations and the general location of the display grounds by cackling and "flutter-jumping." During flutter-jumping, the male jumps into the air, flies a few feet forward and lands again.
Photo Credit WDNR
Male grouse also use several displays to show aggression toward one another on the dancing grounds. These aggressive displays may include several postures and calls like "chilk" and "cha" notes, squealing sounds, whining, and gobbling sounds. Also common is the "cooing" display which resembles the "booming" of the greater prairie chicken. During this display, the sharp-tail cocks his tail, lowers his head and inflates his esophagus to make a low-pitched cooing sound. In addition to these aggressive displays, male sharptails commonly fight for the attention of the females, using their beaks, claws and wings to attack each other.
Photo Credit Peter
Michaelsen
The attract females, males use several courtship displays, the most complex of which is the "tail-rattling" or "dancing" display. This display consists of a series of rapid stepping motions performed with the tail erect. the head held forward and the wings outstretched. After assuming this stiff posture, the male "dances" in a small circle or arc. While dancing, he vibrates his tail feathers, which makes a clicking or rattling sound. Males often perform this "tail-rattling" in synchrony and frequently stop to "pose" before the females. When the male has successfully attracted a female, they mate and the female leaves the dancing ground area for her nest site.
The female lays 10-14 drab olive colored eggs in a nest built on the ground. The nesting sites are located in areas predominatly coverd with grasses and similar nonwoody plants, near brushy or woody cover. The eggs hatch after an incubation period of 23-24 days. The brood remains in grass and brushland cover where they feed on insects and plants. They begin to fly in about 10 days and by six to eight weeks, they are fully independent of their mother.
Wintering areas for sharp-tails consist of deciduous and coniferous forests where most feeding is in trees and shrubs for buds and catkins. Sharp-tails do not roost in the trees during winter, instead, they "snow roost" by burrowing down into the snow.
Historically the sharp-tail grouse was found statewide. Modern land-use practices have resulted in the destruction of virtually all of Wisconsin's prairies. There may be as little as 1,000 square miles of sharp-tail grouse habitat left in Wisconsin. Currently, Wisconsin's sharp-tail population is about 5,000. They are mainly found on 11 state wildlife areas and adjacent privately-owned lands. These wildlife areas are located in pockets of suitable habitat in the northern third of the state and in the central forested region. Presently, however, the state's sharptail population is declining at an estimated rate of 2 percent per year, mainly because of habitat loss. To maintain a stable sharptail popualtion in Wisconsin, management efforts on the state's wildlife areas must be intensified.