Greater Sage-Grouse
Centrocercus urophasianus
Draped in mottled browns and crowned with spiky tail feathers, the Greater Sage-Grouse is a master of desert camouflage—until spring. Then, on ancient leks, males inflate vivid chest sacs in rhythmic, echoing dances. But oil drilling, grazing, and wildfire have fragmented its sagebrush home. Once numbering in the millions, its population has sharply declined. Conservationists now fight to save the sagebrush sea, and with it, this dancer of the dust.
Near Threatened
Population: 200,000 - 400,000
Years Until Extinction: 25 - 35 years
Habitat
Sagebrush steppe, high desert plains, shrublands
Main Threat
Habitat loss from energy development and wildfires
Description
A plump, ground-dwelling bird with speckled feathers, long pointed tail, and dramatic air sacs on its chest. Males puff up and strut with popping sounds in stunning displays each spring.
Wingspan: 25 - 30 inches
Diet: Sagebrush leaves, insects
Nesting: Ground nests hidden in sagebrush cover
Mating: Lekking group dances with chest sac inflation and strutting
Native to North America’s sagebrush plains, the greater sage-grouse is known for its elaborate mating ritual, where males inflate air sacs and strut rhythmically in group displays. The dance is grounded and rhythmic, centered on the grouse’s chest-led pulses, stomping steps, and repeated gestures that mimic the tension and cycle of lekking behavior.
The male’s courtship pop can be heard half a mile away—like a bubble-wrap ballet in the high desert dawn.
Learn the Dance
Choreography Suggestions:
Chest boom: hands at sternum expand/contract
Tail fan: quick back-lean with splayed fingers behind hips
Strut steps: side-to-side heel-toe shuffles with proud chest.l
Percussive and showy; steady tempo with punchy accents.
Not a dancer? Co-create with AI!
Costume Ideas: Mottled brown/cream top with round pale chest pads; subtle finger “tail” ruffles.
Prompt Ideas: Solo dancer channeling a greater sage-grouse: chest “boom” expansions, finger-fan tail poses, side strut steps; mottled brown/cream costume with pale chest pads; open sagebrush-lek feel.
