The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), Chapter B of The effects of management practices on grassland birds

Abstract

Keys to Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus uropha-sianus) management are maintenance of expansive stands of sagebrush (Artemisia species [spp.]), especially varieties of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) with abundant forbs in the understory, particularly during spring; undisturbed and somewhat open sites for leks; and healthy perennial grass and forb stands intermixed with sagebrush for brood rearing. Within suitable habitats, areas should have 15–25 percent canopy cover of sagebrush 30–80 centimeters (cm) tall for nesting and 10–25 percent canopy cover 40–80 cm tall for brood rearing (Connelly and others, 2000b). In winter habitats, shrubs should be exposed 25–35 cm above snow and have 10–30 percent canopy cover exposed above snow. In nesting and brood-rearing habitats, the understory should have at least 15 percent cover of grasses and at least 10 percent cover of forbs greater than or equal to (>) 18 cm tall. Greater Sage-Grouse have been reported to use habitats with 5–110 cm aver-age vegetation height, 5–160 cm visual obstruction reading, 3–51 percent grass cover, 3–20 percent forb cover, 3–69 per-cent shrub cover, 7–63 percent sagebrush cover, 14–51 percent bare ground, and 0–18 percent litter cover. The descriptions of key vegetation characteristics are provided in table B1 (after the “References” section). Unless otherwise noted, this account refers to habitat requirements and environmental factors affecting Greater Sage-Grouse but not Gunnison Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus minimus). Habitats used by Gunnison Sage-Grouse are generally similar to habitats used by Greater Sage-Grouse, but some differences have been reported (Young and others, 2000; Aldridge and others, 2012). The Greater Sage-Grouse is a game bird and is hunted throughout most of its current range (Reese and Connelly, 2011). This account does not address harvest or its effects on populations; rather, this account focuses on the effects of habitat management. Vernacular and scientific names of plants and animals follow the Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Citation

Rowland, Mary. 2019. The effects of management practices on grassland birds—Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), Chapter B of The effects of management practices on grassland birds. In: Johnson, Douglas H.; Igl, Lawrence D.; Shaffer, Jill A.; DeLong, John P.; (eds.) 2019. The effects of management practices on grassland birds. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1842, 50 p. https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1842B..