Their known population is quite small, with an estimate of … Brown tail feathers are long and pointed, with white bands. The Gunnison Sage-Grouse was considered part of a single species, the Sage Grouse. Cathie Pagano Director Email Planning Community and Economic Development Department Connect via Social Media Planning and Building 221 N. Wisconsin St. Gunnison, CO 81230 Males bigger than females and more colorful when mating. Remarkably, this bird was not recognized as a separate species from the Greater Yellow eye combs and long black filoplumes on neck show when courting. The US Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Gunnison Sage-grouse as a Threatened Species on 12 November 2014 under the Endangered Species Act. Recent genetic work and behavioral studies have split this former species in to the Greater Sage-Grouse and the Gunnison Sage-Grouse. The Gunnison sage grouse numbers increased between 2004 and 2007, and annual counts of the males at the breeding grounds have shown the total population hovering between about 4,000 and 5,000 since then — until 2018, when the numbers began to plunge. Only one area of range land is inhabited by the Gunnison Sage-Grouse in Utah. The range of the Gunnison Sage-Grouse is very limited in western Colorado and southeast Utah. The federal government paid for aerial seeding to provide food for the grouse and changed their mowing practices to cater to the bird. Names: Two species include the greater sage-grouse (including the geographically distinct BI-State population on the California/Nevada border) and Gunnison sage-grouse. The legal threat was a main discussion item for the stockgrowers when they met for their annual meeting on Dec. 8. In the late 1970s, Braun estimates there were as many as 10,000 Gunnison sage grouse alive — 7,000 of those in the Gunnison basin alone. An area of approximately 10,900 acres in San Juan County Utah has been designated as a global IBA for this unique species. Contact Us. The researchers identified eight small populations of Gunnison sage grouse, all in Colorado except one small group of birds just across the state line in Utah. Large grouse, mottled gray-brown overall with white breast, black face, chin, throat, bib and belly. Black bill. The Gunnison County Stockgrowers Association, the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District and the Gunnison Basin Sage-grouse Strategic Committee have discussed the lawsuit in recent meetings. Appearance: A large chicken-like bird with a spiky tail that blends in with the sagebrush country. The Gunnison Sage-grouse is a seriously imperiled species and highly vulnerable to human disturbance. To view road closures due to the Gunnison Sage-Grouse Habitat, click here and click on the Road Closures tab. Gunnison County hired a sage-grouse coordinator in 2005. 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