Associated Species: Other species that may use habitat in a similar way and/or respond similarly to threats, management, and conservation activities include Sage Thrasher, Green-tailed Towhee, Brewer's Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, and Sage Sparrow.

Distribution: Gunnison Sage Grouse are most abundant in sagebrush habitats in Gunnison County, but they also inhabit suitable sagebrush habitats in Dolores, San Miguel, Montrose, and Saguache counties in southwestern Colorado. They have recently been extirpated in Montezuma County. A small number reside in San Juan County, Utah.

Habitat Requirements: A sagebrush obligate, Gunnison Sage Grouse depend upon big sagebrush as a primary food and as habitat for nesting, roosting, and brood rearing. Their primary habitat consists of large expanses of sagebrush dissected with wet meadows and riparian areas at elevations from 2300 to 2900 m (7,500-9,500 ft).

Ecology: Males begin arriving on lekking areas (strutting grounds) in March to defend territories and attract females. Although strutting grounds may have up to 50-100 males, only a few dominant males perform most copulations of hens, primarily in early April. Hens disperse up to 18 km (11 mi) for nesting, with most nesting within 6.0 km (4 mi) of the lek where they mated. Except for summer, when insects and forbs predominate in their diet, Sage Grouse depend upon the leaves of sagebrush for food, and in the winter they seek sagebrush exposed above the snow. These grouse gather in flocks of 5-50 birds during most of the year.

Management Issues and Conservation Recommendations: Gunnison Sage Grouse occur in eight isolated populations in six different counties with an estimated total breeding population of less than 4,000 individuals. The largest population occurs in Gunnison County, the other populations each having a few hundred individuals at most. The greatest threat to Gunnison Sage Grouse is loss of habitat due to agricultural conversion, encroachment of pinyon-juniper forests, residential development, and other activities which create a fragmented sagebrush landscape. Excessive livestock grazing reduces nesting success and brood survival. The genetic effects of population isolation may eventually result in demographic problems including reduced fertility and hatching success. Protect existing sagebrush habitats and reestablish corridors to maintain viable populations of this species outside Gunnison County.

Status and Reasons for Concern: This species has a high conservation need locally and throughout its range. Because of its restricted and fragmented population, and its small population size, this species may become a candidate for listing under the Federal Endangered Species Act. It is listed as a BLM Sensitive Species. This species is monitored by CDOW.

Biological Objective: Gunnison Sage Grouse are not monitored by the BBS. Because of population declines and small populations, the objective is to maintain existing populations in Gunnison County and increase the populations and distribution throughout the remainder of their range based on CDOW surveys.

Selected References: Andrews and Righter 1992, Commons 1997, Kingery 1998, Young 1994.