4 minute read

Colorado’s Game Birds

from HIKE ROCKY magazine, May, 2021

from HIKE ROCKY magazine, May, 2021, page 6

Wildlife Babies

by Scott Rashid, Director of the Colorado Avian Research and Rehabilitation Institute

North America has more than 20 different species of upland game birds. These include grouse, quail, pheasants, ptarmigan, and turkeys. All of these birds are heavy-bodied ground dwelling birds, often cryptically colored to blend into their surroundings.

Colorado has 14 species of upland gamebirds, which is the most of any state in the nation. These birds include the northern bobwhite quail, which is most numerous in the eastern parts of the state. The scaled quail, often called the "coontop", is found in the southeastern portions of the state. The gamble's quail is in the far western portion of the state. The Chucker, an introduced species, can be found almost anywhere in the state, as they are frequently bred in game farms and are released for hunting or escape from their facilities. Like the Chucker, the ring-necked pheasant is an introduced species that often escape from their captors and can be found almost anywhere in the state as well.

The dusky grouse, found in the mountains, is the largest mountain grouse in the state. They are frequently found high in the mountains. Another bird found high in the mountains, most often seen above treeline, is the white-tailed ptarmigan. Ptarmigan is the only member of the family that looks very different from summer to winter as they molt from their summer plumage to their winter plumage. In the summer their plumage is molted to match their surroundings and, in the winter, they molt their feathers and grow their winter plumage that is all white.

**White-tailed ptarmigan in its summer plumage**

**White-tailed ptarmigan molting from its winter plumage**

The ruffed grouse is the least frequently seen member of the family, as they are only found in the far northwestern portion of the state. Ruffed grouse are more numerous farther north in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington State, and in the Midwest and Northeast.

The Gunnison's sage grouse was recently separated from the larger greater sage grouse into a separate species, due to being smaller, having different plumes on their heads, and living primarily in the Gunnison area of Colorado.

Sharp-tailed grouse are birds of the open country and most often seen in the northern portions of the state in the grasslands, with a few individuals frequently seen on the Pawnee National Grasslands.

Two species that are in very low numbers are the Lesser prairie-chicken and the Gunnison's sage grouse. Both species are found in very limited areas within the state and due to loss of habitat, their numbers have been declining for decades and do not seem to be rebounding.

There are two species of prairie chickens in America, the greater and lesser. I already talked briefly about the lesser, which are only found in the Southeastern part of Colorado, Western Oklahoma, Northeastern Texas, and rarely Northeastern New Mexico.

**Tom turkey in full strut at Lumpy Ridge**

The greater prairie-chicken is much more numerous and found in many more states. Greater prairie chickens are found in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Illinois.

The largest of these birds is the turkey. There are several races of turkeys in the country, including the Meriam's, Eastern, Rio Grande, and many others; all look similar but have slight size differences and some color variations.

Except for the ring-necked pheasant, Gambel's quail, and the white-tailed ptarmigan (in their summer plumage), male and female gamebirds look virtually identical.

The males of these species have elaborate courtship displays that they use to attract females. Species including greater and lesser prairie-chickens and greater and Gunnison's sage grouse arrive on large open parcels of land called leks early in the morning and begin elaborate dancing and vocalizing. A lek is an aggregation of male game birds gathered to engage in competitive displays and courtship rituals, known as lekking, to entice visiting females that are surveying prospective partners to mate with. The placement of the males within the lek often determines which individual male ends up mating with the majority of the females.

The ruffed grouse has a very different courtship display. They find a downed log in the forest and perch upright, perpendicular to the direction of the log. Then they vigorously flap their stiff wings against the log creating a loud brushing sound, often called drumming. When a female arrives, the male steps off the log and displays its dark neck feathers and fans its tail while walking around the prospective female.

The dusky grouse has a similar display, but they do not use a downed log. Dusky grouse simply give low deep hoots to attract a female. When a female approaches, the males strut, puff up their neck feathers, displaying their reddish neck patches, and walk around the prospective female. If the females accept the males, the females move off and begin nesting.

Artist, researcher, bird rehabilitator, author, and director of a nonprofit are only a few things that describe Scott Rashid. Scott has been painting, illustrating and writing about birds for over 30 years. In 2011, Scott created the Colorado Avian Research and Rehabilitation Institute in Estes Park. In 2019, Scott located and documented the first Boreal Owl nest in the history of Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Scott has written and published five books and several papers on a variety of avian species. More information available on his website: http://www.carriep.org/

This article is from:

HIKE ROCKY magazine, May, 2021

by HikeRockyMagazine