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Sharp-tailed Grouse - Tympanuchus phasianellus
Species of Concern Native Species
Global Rank :
G5
State Rank :
SX,S4
(see State Rank Reason below)
Agency Status
USFWS :
USFS :
BLM :
FWP SWAP :
SGCN1
PIF :
2
External Links
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Copyright by: The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, all rights reserved.
State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)
Populations west of the Continental Divide are extirpated and have a conservation status rank of SX. Populations east of the Continental Divide have a state rank of S4 and are not a Species of Concern.
General Description
Sexes are similar, although males have inconspicuous yellow eye combs and pale violet air sacs on the neck. Both sexes have feathered legs and upper parts mottled with white, buff, brown, and black. The wings have conspicuous white spots, and the breast and flanks have V-shaped brown markings on a snow-white background. Adult males and females average from 16.5 to 18.5 inches in length; adult males average 33 ounces and adult females 29 ounces in weight. Populations west of the Continental Divide that are thought to have been extirpated were, until recently, believed to be a smaller subspecies, the Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse (
Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus ). These populations tended to have grayer plumage, more pronounced spotting on the throat, and narrower markings on the underparts (Hoffman and Thomas 2007). However, nuclear and mitochondrial DNA of populations east and west of the Continental Divide overlap almost completely, indicating that Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse likely never inhabited western Montana and that the declines observed in that region were in populations genetically similar to those on the Great Plains (Spaulding et al. 2006, Wood et al. 2010).
For a comprehensive review of the conservation status, habitat use, and ecology of this and other Montana bird species, please see
Marks et al. 2016, Birds of Montana.
Diagnostic Characteristics
Female Ring-necked Pheasants, especially in the early fall, can be confused with Sharp-tailed Grouse. Sharp-tailed Grouse, however, have much shorter tails, feathered legs, and white bellies (female Ring-necked Pheasants are mottled brown throughout).
Species Range
Montana Range
Range Descriptions
Western Hemisphere Range
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 11017
(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version)
Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density
Recency
SUMMER (Feb 16 - Dec 14)
Direct Evidence of Breeding
Indirect Evidence of Breeding
No Evidence of Breeding
WINTER (Dec 15 - Feb 15)
Regularly Observed
Not Regularly Observed
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Migration
Move to breeding grounds in mid-March to mid-April, nested from mid-May to mid-June, reared broods from June to September, and moved to wintering areas from mid-October to mid-December.
Habitat
The habitat is primarily grasslands interspersed with shrub and brush-filled coulees. They prefer stands of inter-mixed tree and shrub grasslands. With high population, they spread into islands of native grassland, usually along drainages surrounded by grainfields. Sharp-tailed Grouse persist only on native bunchgrass-shrub stands. In Idaho, Saab and Marks (1992) found birds selected big sage habitat types during summer. They appeared to prefer range habitats that were in good condition. Until recently, Sharp-tailed Grouse in Montana were found west of the Continental Divide in larger mountain valleys with extensive native bunchgrass-shrub stands. However, they have now apparently been extirpated, or nearly extirpated, from this historic range (Hoffman and Thomas 2007).
Ecological Systems Associated with this Species
Details on Creation and Suggested Uses and Limitations
How Associations Were Made
We associated the use and habitat quality (common or occasional) of each of the 82 ecological systems mapped in Montana for
vertebrate animal species that regularly breed, overwinter, or migrate through the state by:
Using personal observations and reviewing literature that summarize the breeding, overwintering, or migratory habitat requirements of each species (Dobkin 1992, Hart et al. 1998, Hutto and Young 1999, Maxell 2000, Foresman 2012, Adams 2003, and Werner et al. 2004);
Evaluating structural characteristics and distribution of each ecological system relative to the species' range and habitat requirements;
Examining the observation records for each species in the state-wide point observation database associated with each ecological system;
Calculating the percentage of observations associated with each ecological system relative to the percent of Montana covered by each ecological system to get a measure of "observations versus availability of habitat".
Species that breed in Montana were only evaluated for breeding habitat use, species that only overwinter in Montana were only evaluated for overwintering habitat use, and species that only migrate through Montana were only evaluated for migratory habitat use.
In general, species were listed as associated with an ecological system if structural characteristics of used habitat documented in the literature were present in the ecological system or large numbers of point observations were associated with the ecological system.
However, species were not listed as associated with an ecological system if there was no support in the literature for use of structural characteristics in an ecological system,
even if point observations were associated with that system.
Common versus occasional association with an ecological system was assigned based on the degree to which the structural characteristics of an ecological system matched the preferred structural habitat characteristics for each species as represented in scientific literature.
The percentage of observations associated with each ecological system relative to the percent of Montana covered by each ecological system was also used to guide assignment of common versus occasional association.
If you have any questions or comments on species associations with ecological systems, please contact the Montana Natural Heritage Program's Senior Zoologist.
Suggested Uses and Limitations
Species associations with ecological systems should be used to generate potential lists of species that may occupy broader landscapes for the purposes of landscape-level planning.
These potential lists of species should not be used in place of documented occurrences of species (this information can be requested at:
mtnhp.org/requests ) or systematic surveys for species and evaluations of habitat at a local site level by trained biologists.
Users of this information should be aware that the land cover data used to generate species associations is based on imagery from the late 1990s and early 2000s and was only intended to be used at broader landscape scales.
Land cover mapping accuracy is particularly problematic when the systems occur as small patches or where the land cover types have been altered over the past decade.
Thus, particular caution should be used when using the associations in assessments of smaller areas (e.g., evaluations of public land survey sections).
Finally, although a species may be associated with a particular ecological system within its known geographic range, portions of that ecological system may occur outside of the species' known geographic range.
Literature Cited
Adams, R.A. 2003. Bats of the Rocky Mountain West; natural history, ecology, and conservation. Boulder, CO: University Press of Colorado. 289 p.
Dobkin, D. S. 1992. Neotropical migrant land birds in the Northern Rockies and Great Plains. USDA Forest Service, Northern Region. Publication No. R1-93-34. Missoula, MT.
Foresman, K.R. 2012. Mammals of Montana. Second edition. Mountain Press Publishing, Missoula, Montana. 429 pp.
Hart, M.M., W.A. Williams, P.C. Thornton, K.P. McLaughlin, C.M. Tobalske, B.A. Maxell, D.P. Hendricks, C.R. Peterson, and R.L. Redmond. 1998. Montana atlas of terrestrial vertebrates. Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, University of Montana, Missoula, MT. 1302 p.
Hutto, R.L. and J.S. Young. 1999. Habitat relationships of landbirds in the Northern Region, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station RMRS-GTR-32. 72 p.
Maxell, B.A. 2000. Management of Montana's amphibians: a review of factors that may present a risk to population viability and accounts on the identification, distribution, taxonomy, habitat use, natural history, and the status and conservation of individual species. Report to U.S. Forest Service Region 1. Missoula, MT: Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana. 161 p.
Werner, J.K., B.A. Maxell, P. Hendricks, and D. Flath. 2004. Amphibians and reptiles of Montana. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Publishing Company. 262 p.
Commonly Associated with these Ecological SystemsForest and Woodland Systems
Grassland Systems
Shrubland, Steppe and Savanna Systems
Wetland and Riparian Systems
Occasionally Associated with these Ecological SystemsForest and Woodland Systems
Human Land Use
Recently Disturbed or Modified
Shrubland, Steppe and Savanna Systems
Wetland and Riparian Systems
Food Habits
Diet consists of seeds, grasses, fruit, and insects.
Ecology
Farming and intense grazing eliminate native grasses required for shelter, protection from predators, night roosting and spring nesting; dense trees and shrubs are needed for food, rest, escape, cover and winter survival. In western Montana, housing developments and agriculture have eliminated large portions of habitat required for shelter, protection from predators, night roosting and spring nesting; dense trees and shrubs are needed for food, rest, escape, cover, and winter survival.
Reproductive Characteristics
Nesting occurs from mid-May to mid-June (Davis 1961). Displays were observed as early as April 3 (Skaar 1969) in the Gallatin Valley. The number of birds seen on dancing grounds in the Tobacco Plains near Eureka has varied from a high of 33 (1971) to a low of 4 in 1988. During 1990 and 1991, birds were supplemented with a transplant from British Columbia and reached a population of nearly 30 in 1991 (Bown 1980, Cope 1992).
Stewardship Responsibility
References
Literature Cited AboveLegend: View Online Publication Bown, R.R. 1980. The status of the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse in the Tobacco Plains, Eureka, Montana. B.S. Thesis. University of Montana, Missoula. 42 pp. Davis, C.V. 1961. A distributional study of the birds of Montana. Ph.D. Dissertation. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University. 462 p. Hoffman, R. W., and A. E. Thomas. 2007. Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus): A technical conservation assessment. U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, Golden, Colorado. Marks, J.S., P. Hendricks, and D. Casey. 2016. Birds of Montana. Arrington, VA. Buteo Books. 659 pages. Saab, V. A. and J. S. Marks. 1992. Summer habitat use by Columbian sharp-tailed grouse in western Idaho. Great Basin Naturalist 52:166-173. Skaar, P.D. 1969. Birds of the Bozeman latilong: a compilation of data concerning the birds which occur between 45 and 46 N. latitude and 111 and 112 W. longitude, with current lists for Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, impinging Montana counties and Yellowstone National Park. Bozeman, MT. 132 p. Spaulding, A.W., K.E. Mock, M.A. Schroeder, and K.I. Warheit. 2006. Recency, range expansion, and unsorted lineages: implications for interpreting neutral genetic variation in the sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus ). Molecular Ecology 15(9): 2317-2332. Wood, A.K., B.D. Deeble, D.M. Becker, K.I. Warheit, and C.A. Dean. 2010. Subspecific identification of sharp-tailed grouse (Tymphanuchus phasianellus ) samples from Montana. Proceedings of the 27th Western Agencies Sage and Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse Workshop. Twin Falls, ID. June 7-10, 2010.
Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication Do you know of a citation we're missing? Aldrich, J. W. 1963. Geographic orientation of American Tetraonidae. Journal of Wildlife Management 27:529-545. American Ornithologists’ Union [AOU]. 1998. Check-list of North American birds, 7th edition. American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C. 829 p. Anonymous. 1959. Sharp-tail grouse. Montana Wildlife. Novemher. Beak Consultants, Inc. 1983. Circle West wildlife studies, Meridian Exchange study area, McCone County, Montana. Progress report no. 3/4 to the Meridian Land & Mineral Company. 21 p. Bergeron, D., C. Jones, D.L. Genter, and D. Sullivan. 1992. P. D. Skaar's Montana Bird Distribution, Fourth Edition. Special Publication No. 2. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena. 116 pp. Big Sky Wildlife Consultants. 2004. Surveys for active sage-grouse leks and raptor nests Custer National Forest. Slim Buttes, SD and Ashland Ranger District, MT. USFS Contract No. 43-0355-4-0061. 9 p. Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. 2017. Pocket Guide to Northern Prairie Birds. Brighton, CO: Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. 98 p. Bousquet, K.R. 1996. Habitat preferences of sharp-tailed grouse broods on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 65 p. Bramblett, R.G., and A.V. Zale. 2002. Montana Prairie Riparian Native Species Report. Montana Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, Montana State University - Bozeman. Brown, R. L. 1960-66. Sharp-tailed grouse population study. Montana Fish and Game Dept. P-R Job CompI. Rep. Proj. W-91-R-l through 9, Job II-E. Brown, R. L. 1961. Effects of land use practices on sharp-tailed grouse. Mont. Dept. of Fish and Game, Helena. Job CompI. Rep./Investigations Proj. 12 pp. Brown, R. L. 1961. Sharp-tailed grouse population study (in the Cannonball study area). Montana Dept. of Fish and Game, Helena. Proj. No. W-91-R-3, Job No. II-E. 33 pp. Brown, R. L. 1965. Techniques developed and employed in a study of female sharptail grouse ecology in Montana during 1963, 1964, and 1965. Presented at 4th biennial meeting of Western States Sage Grouse Comm., Walden, CO., June 22-24, 1965. Brown, R. L. 1966. Response of sharp-tail breeding populations to annual changes in residual grassland cover. MT Fish and Game Dept. Fed. Aid Proj. W-91-R. Brown, R. L. 1968. Effects of land-use practices on sharp-tail grouse. State of MT, Proj. No. W-91-R-9. Brown, R. L. 1968. Sharptail grouse population study. Montana Dept. of Fish and Game. Job Compl. Rep., Proj. No. W-91-R-9, Job No. n-E. 18 pp. Brown, R.L. 1971. Sharp-tailed Grouse. pp. 129-133 in Mussehl, T.W., and F.W. Howell (eds.), Game Management in Montana. Montana Department of Fish and Game, Helena. 238 pp. Cameron, E. S. 1907. The birds of Custer and Dawson counties, Montana. Auk 24(3): 241-270. Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc., 1990, Stillwater Chromite Project Baseline Data Report: Hydrology and Wildlife Monitoring, Hydrology - November 1988 through November 1989, Wildlife - November 1988 through February 1990. June 30, 1990 Casey, D. 2005. Rocky Mountain Front avian inventory. Final report. Prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy by the American Bird Conservancy, Kalispell, Montana. Connelly, J.W., M.W. Gratson, and K.P. Reese. 1998. Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus ). Species Account Number 354. The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill eds). Ithaca, NY: Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. Accessed on January 24, 2012, from the Birds of North America Online. Cope, M.G. 1992. Distribution, habitat selection and survival of transplanted Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) in the Tobacco Valley, Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, Montana: Montana State University. 60 p. Decker Coal Company., 1992, Decker Coal Company East Pit Permit. Vol. 7. Section 9 - Wildlife. Section 10 - AVF and Prime Farmland. July 1992. Deeble, B. 1994. Conservation assessment for Columbian sharp-tailed grouse in Montana's Blackfoot valley. Draft report. University of Montana, Missoula. 11 pp. Deeble, B. 1999. Sharp-Tailed Grouse Habitat and Population Investigations in the Upper Blackfoot Valley. Report to the Missoula Field Office BLM MT-952-1150-03. Missoula, MT. 7 pp + appendices. DuBois, K.L. 1979. An inventory of the avifauna in the Long Pines of Southeastern Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 113 p. Ecological Consulting Service (ECON), Helena, MT., 1972, Wildlife Investigations: 10 x 20 Mile Area, Colstrip, Montana. Project 9--01--A. Annual Report to Montana Power Company and Western Energy Company; December 1972 - December 1973. December 21, 1973. Ecological Consulting Service (ECON), Helena, MT., 1973, Wildlife Investigations: Areas A & B, Colstrip, Montana. Project 1--01--A. Annual Report to Montana Power Company and Western Energy Company; December 1972 - December 1973. December 21, 1973. Ecological Consulting Service (ECON), Helena, MT., 1973, Wildlife Investigations: Areas D & E, Colstrip, Montana. Project 13--01--A. Annual Report to Montana Power Company and Western Energy Company; December 1972 - December 1973. December 21, 1973. ECON, Inc. (Ecological Consulting Service Div.), Helena, MT., 1977, Sharp-tailed grouse research, 1977. Proj. 176-81-A. December 31, 1977. ECON, Inc. (Ecological Consulting Service), Helena, MT., 1975, Colstrip 10 x 20 Area wildlife and wildlife habitat annual monitoring report, 1975. Proj. 71-23-A. December 31, 1975. ECON, Inc. (Ecological Consulting Service), Helena, MT., 1976, Colstrip 10 x 20 Area wildlife and wildlife habitat annual monitoring report, 1976. Proj. 135-85-A. December 31, 1976. Econ, Inc. (Ecological Consulting Service), Helena, MT., 1977, 1977 wildlife and wildlife habitat monitoring study, Peabody Coal Company Big Sky Mine. Proj. 161-85-A. November 30, 1977. ECON, Inc. (Ecological Consulting Service), Helena, MT., 1977, Colstrip 10 x 20 Area wildlife and wildlife habitat annual monitoring report, 1977. Proj. 164-85-A. December 31, 1977. ECON, Inc. (Ecological Consulting Service), Helena, MT., 1977, Sharp-tailed grouse research. Report No. 2. 1976. ECON, Inc. (Ecological Consulting Service), Helena, MT., 1979, Annual wildllife report of the Colstrip Area for 1978. Proj. 195-85-A. April 6, 1979. ECON, Inc. (Ecological Consulting Service), Helena, MT., 1979, Annual wildllife report of the Colstrip Area for 1979, including a special raptor research study. Proj. 216-85-A. March 1, 1980. ECON, Inc. (Ecological Consulting Service), Helena, MT., 1979, Area B four-section wildlife report. August 3, 1979. ECS, Inc. (Ecological Consulting Service), Helena, MT., 1975, Sharp-tailed grouse research. Progress Report Ehrlich, P., D. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1988. The birder’s handbook: a field guide to the natural history of North American birds. Simon and Schuster Inc. New York. 785 pp. Eng, R. L. 1952. Range and distribution of prairie grouse species (sharp-tailed). Montana Fish and Game Dept. P-R Quarterly Report, April-June:95-99. Eng, R.L. 1971. Two hybrid sage grouse X sharp-tailed grouse from central Montana. Condor 73:491-493. Evans, K.E. 1968. Characteristics and habitat requirements of the Greater Prairie Chicken and Sharp-tailed Grouse - a review of literature. Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experimental Station. Conservation Research Report 12. 32 pp. Faanes, C.A. 1983. Breeding birds of wooded draws in western North Dakota. Prairie Nat. 15(4): 173-187. Farmer, P. J. 1980. Sharp-tailed grouse telemetry study, Pearl Area, Montana, 1979. Tech. Rpt. for Shell Oil Co. by Westech, Inc. Helena, MT. Fritzen, D.E. 1995. Ecology and behavior of Mule Deer on the Rosebud Coal Mine, Montana. Ph.D. Dissertation. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 143 p. Gillihan, SW. and T. VerCauteren. 2015. Pocket Guide to Prairie Birds. Brighton, CO: Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. 91 p. Gniadek, S. 1983. Southwest Glendive Wildlife Baseline Inventory. Miles City, Mont: Bureau of Land Management, Miles City District Office. 56 pp with appendices. Grensten, J. J. 1987. Locating sharp-tailed grouse leks from color infrared photography. BLM Technical Note 377, BLM, Denver CO 80225-0047. 8 pp. Gunderson, P. T. 1989. 1988 sharp-tailed grouse production in the Missouri River Breaks. In M. Aderhold, comp., The effects of the 1988 drought and fires on wildlife, Proc. Mont.Chapt., The Wildl. Soc., Missoula. Gunderson, P.T. 1990. Nesting and brood rearing ecology of sharp-tailed grouse on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Montana. M.cS. Thesis, Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 86 p. Hale, K.M. 2007. Investigations of the West Nile virus transmission cycle at Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Montana, 2005-2006. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 74 p. Hammond, C. and A. Wood. 2019. Western Montana sharp-tailed grouse reintroduction. Kalispell, MT: MT Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Draft Environmental Assessment. 27 p. Hand, R.L. 1969. A distributional checklist of the birds of western Montana. Unpublished. Available at Mansfield Library, University of Montana, Missoula. Hays, R., R.L. Eng, and C.V. Davis (preparers). 1984. A list of Montana birds. Helena, MT: MT Dept. of Fish, Wildlife & Parks. Hendricks, P., G.M. Kudray, S. Lenard, and B.A. Maxell. 2007. A Multi-Scale Analysis Linking Prairie Breeding Birds to Site and Landscape Factors Including USGS GAP Data. Helena, Mont: Montana Natural Heritage Program. Hendricks, P., S. Lenard, C. Currier, and J. Carlson. 2007. Grassland bird surveys in north Valley County, Montana: 2001-2006. Report to the Bureau of Land Management, Glasgow Field Office. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, Montana. 19 pp. plus appendices. Hendricks, P., S. Lenard, C. Currier, B. A. Maxell, and J. Carlson. 2008. Surveys for grassland birds of the Malta Field Office-BLM, including a seven-year study in north Valley County. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena. Hendricks, P., S. Lenard, D.M. Stagliano, and B.A. Maxell. 2013. Baseline nongame wildlife surveys on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Report to the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT. 83 p. Herbert, J.T. 1977. An inventory of the bird population within the Sarpy Creek drainage, southeastern Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 81 p. Hoag, A. W., and C. E. Braun. 1990. Status and distribution of plains sharp-tailed grouse in Colorado Prairie Nat. 22(2): 97-102. Johnsgard, P. A. 1973. Grouse and quail of North America. U. of Nebraska, Lincoln. 553 pp. Johnsgard, P.A. 1992. Birds of the Rocky Mountains with particular reference to national parks in the northern Rocky Mountain region. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. xi + 504 pp. Johnson, C.M. 2002. Effects of black-tailed prairie dogs on the mixed-grass prairie in Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 89 p. Joslin, Gayle, and Heidi B. Youmans. 1999. Effects of recreation on Rocky Mountain wildlife: a review for Montana . [Montana]: Montana Chapter of the Wildlife Society. Kantrud, H. A. 1981. Grazing intensity effects on the breeding avifauna of North Dakota native grasslands. Can. Field-Nat. 95:404-417. Kantrud, H. A., and R. L. Kologiski. 1982. Effects of soils and grazing on breeding birds of uncultivated upland grasslands in the northern Great Plains. Wildlife Research Report No. 15, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. Landel, H. F. 1988. A study of female mating behavior and female mate choice in the sharptailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus jamesi). Ph.D. thesis, Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind. 192 pp. Landel, Hans Frederick., 1988, A Study of female and male mating behaviour and female mate choice in the sharp-tailed grouse, Tympanuchus phasianellus jamesi. December 1988. Lenard, S. 2006. Birds of Blaine County, Riparian Point Count Surveys 2005. Report to the Bureau of LandManagement, Havre Field Station, Havre, Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT. 16pp.plus appendices. Lenard, S. and P. Hendricks. 2005. Birds of selected grassland and riparian plots along the Rocky Mountain Front. Montana Natural Heritage Program for US Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy. 17pp + maps. Lenard, S., Compiler. 2005. Surveys for Animal Species of Concern in Sage and Grassland Landscapes in Montana. An unpublished report to the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks, State Wildlife Grants Program. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, Montana. 63pp. Lenard, S., J. Carlson, J. Ellis, C. Jones, and C. Tilly. 2003. P. D. Skaar's Montana bird distribution, 6th edition. Montana Audubon, Helena, MT. 144 pp. Matthews, W.L. 1980a. Wibaux-Beach comparison study: Sydney, Glendive and Plevna Study Areas. Bureau of Land Management, Miles City, MT. 50 p. Matthews, W.L. 1981. Broadus-Pumpkin Creek baseline inventory - wildlife. Bureau of Land Management, Miles City, MT. 83 p. Maxell, B.A. 2016. Northern Goshawk surveys on the Beartooth, Ashland, and Sioux Districts of the Custer-Gallatin National Forest: 2012-2014. Montana Natural Heritage Program. Helena, MT. 114pp. McEwen, L. C., and R. L. Brown. 1964. Acute toxicity of dieldrin and malathion to sharp-tailed grouse in the field. Central Plains and Mountain States Sec. Meeting, The Wildl. Soc. 2 pp. McEwen, L. C., and R. L. Brown. 1966. Acute toxicity of dieldrin and malathion to wild Sharp-tailed Grouse. Journal of Wildlife Management 30:604-611. Meridian Minerals Co., 1990, Meridian Minerals Company Bull Mountains Mine No. 1 Permit Application, Musselshell County, Montana. Vol. 7 of 14: Section 26.4.304(10): Text. January 31, 1990. Milligan, M.C. 2019. Effects of grazing management on sharp-tailed grouse ecology in mixed-grass prairies. Ph.D. Dissertation. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 166 p. Montana Bird Distribution Committee. 2012. P.D. Skaar's Montana bird distribution. 7th Edition. Montana Audubon, Helena, Montana. 208 pp. + foldout map. Montana Dept. of State Lands. U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement., 1988, Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Peabody Coal Company's Big Sky Area B Mine, Rosebud County, Montana; July 1988. Nielsen, L. S. and C. A. Yde. 1981(?). The effects of rest-rotation grazing on the distribution of sharp-tailed grouse. Montana Agriculture Exp. Sta., Journal Series No. 1195. pp. 147-165. Nielsen, L.S. 1978. The effects of rest-rotation grazing on the distribution of Sharp-tailed Grouse. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 52 p. Northrup, R.D. 1991. Sharp-tailed grouse habitat use during fall and winter on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 54 p. Oechsli, L.M. 2000. Ex-urban development in the Rocky Mountain West: consequences for native vegetation, wildlife diversity, and land-use planning in Big Sky, Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Montana State University, Bozeman. 73 p. Pavlacky Jr., D.C., et al. 2021. Landscape-scale conservation mitigates the biodiversity loss of grassland birds. Ecological Applications e2548. 17 p. Peabody Coal Company, Flagstaff, AZ., 1991, Wildlife monitoring report: 1990 field season, Big Sky Mine. July 1991. Pitkin, P. and L. Quattrini. 2017. Pocket Guide to Sagebrush Birds. Bird Conservancy of the Rockies and Point Blue Conservation Science. 68 p. Powder River Eagle Studies, Inc., Gillette, WY., 1999, Spring Creek Mine 1998 Wildlife Monitoring. March 1999. Prose, B.L. 1987. Habitat suitability index models: plains sharp-tailed grouse. U. S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Biol. Rep. 82(10.142). 31 pp. Richmond, C.W. and F.H. Knowlton. 1894. Birds of south-central Montana. Auk 11:298-308. Rogers, R.R and A. Rogers. 1995. A survey of nesting ferruginous hawks (Buteo regalis) on public lands in Petroleum and Fergus counties, Montana. Prepared for the USDI Bureau of Land Management, Judith Resource Area. 17 p. Rundquist, V.M. 1973. Avian ecology on stock ponds in two vegetational types in north-central Montana. Ph.D. Dissertation. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 112 p. Saunders, A.A. 1914. The birds of Teton and northern Lewis & Clark counties, Montana. Condor 16:124-144. Schladweiler, Philip, and John P. Weigand., 1983, Relationships of endrin and other chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds to wildlife in Montana, 1981-1982. September 1983. Schwarzkoph, W. F. 1976. Sharp-tailed grouse research report no. 2 for the Montana Power Company. 36 pp. Schwarzkoph, W. F., R. R. Austin, and L. R. Reichelt. 1975. Sharp-tailed grouse research progress report for the Montana Power Company. 24 pp. Sibley, D. 2014. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY. 598 pp. Skaar, P. D., D. L. Flath, and L. S. Thompson. 1985. Montana bird distribution. Montana Academy of Sciences Monograph 3(44): ii-69. Stewart, R.E. and H.A. Kantrud. 1972. Population estimates of breeding birds in North Dakota. The Auk 89(4):766-788. Swenson, J. E. 1985. Seasonal habitat use by Sharp-tailed Grouse Tympanuchus phasianellus, on mixed-grass prairie in Montana. Canadian Field-Naturalist 99:40-46. Swenson, J. E., and R. L. Eng. 1984. Autumn we,ights of Plains sharp-tailed grouse in Montana. Prairie Nat. 16:49-54. Thompson, L.S. 1978. Species abundance and habitat relations of an insular montane avifauna. Condor 80(1):1-14. Thompson, L.S. 1981. Circle West wildlife monitoring study: Third annual report. Technical report No. 8. Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Helena, Montana. Thompson, W. L. 1993. Ecology of Merriam's Turkeys in relation to burned and logged areas in southeastern Montana. Ph.D. Dissertation. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 195 p. Thunderbird Wildlife Consulting, Inc., Gillette, WY., 2003, Spring Creek Mine 2002 Wildlife Monitoring. March 2003. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service., 1984, Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Montana: Draft Environmental Impact Statement. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service., 1985, Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Montana: Final Environmental Impact Statement. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1980. Management of Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. Draft. Reprint U.S. Forest Service. 1991. Forest and rangeland birds of the United States: Natural history and habitat use. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service Agricultural Handbook 688. 625 pages. Van Horn, R.C. 1993. Ferruginous Hawk and Prairie Falcon reproductive and behavioral responses to human activity near the Kevin Rim, Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, Montana: Montana State University. 86 p. Vold, S.T. 2018. Effects of livestock grazing management on the ecology of grassland birds and their predators in a northern mixed-grass prairie ecosystem. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 176 p. Waage, B. C. 1989. Sharp-tailed grouse lek (dancing ground) establishment on reclaimed mined lands. Pp. 116-122 in: Proceedings IV: Issues and technology in the mangement of impacted wildlife, February 6-8, 1989. Thorne Ecological Institute, Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Waage, B. C. 1992. 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