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Plains Sharp-tailed Grouse Tympanuchus phasianellus jamesi (Endangered Colorado) The plains sharp-tailed grouse is a bird of Colorado's eastern grasslands. Sharp- tailed grouse closely resemble prairie chickens except that sharp-tails have a pointed tail, and the air sacs on the neck of the male are a purplish color. Plains sharp-tailed grouse reside on the grasslands of the upper Midwest with the main concentration occurring in Nebraska and the Dakotas, but their numbers are declining in many areas. They are dependent upon a mixture of native grass- lands and shrubs such as oak brush. That shrub element separates them ecologic- ally from their close cousins, the prairie chickens. During the breeding season, March to June, sharp-tailed males congregate on specific areas known as booming grounds in the early morning to impress nearby female grouse. The male performs a dance in which the wings are extended, the tail is raised vertically, the head is lowered, and the entire body is horizontal to the ground. The bird's feet move rapidly and the tail feathers make a clicking noise. As a challenge to other males, the sharp-tailed cackles loudly and jumps three to four feet in the air, rapidly beating its wings. In Colorado, plains sharp-tailed grouse formerly nested over much of the north- ern two-thirds of the eastern prairie, but the present population consists of only a few hundred birds in Douglas County. The decline is the result of overgrazing and the conversion of grassland to cropland. What remains of Colorado's population is now severely threatened by proposed land developments in the area between Denver and Colorado Springs. If the remain- ing population is to be preserved, the existing grassland-shrub habitat must be kept free of further development. Additionally, key shrub areas need to be fenced to prevent overgrazing by livestock. Left: The Sharp-tailed grouse is distinguished from the prairie chicken by its pointed tail feathers. Sharp-tailed males have purplish air sacs while the greater prairie chicken's are orange and the lesser prairie chicken's are red.