Sage-Grouse Tail Fan
by Judi Dressler
Title
Sage-Grouse Tail Fan
Artist
Judi Dressler
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The once/year courting and mating ritual of the male Greater Sage-Grouse is something to behold and listen to! They strut, with yellow air sacs enflated, popping the sacs, and fanning their beautiful tail feathers to impress the females. The females then usually all pick just two or three or four of the males to mate with, and the rest of the males have to hope for a better outcome the next year! It's best to get up early to watch this ritual, as it starts before dawn in the cold of the early morning.
Loss of habitat is the single greatest threat to remaining populations in of these birds.
From Cornell's website: "Each spring, at dawn, the sagebrush country of western North America fills with a strange burbling sound and an even stranger sight. Dozens of male Greater Sage-Grouse puff their chests and fan their starburst tails like avant-garde turkeys. They inflate bulbous yellow air sacs and thrust with their heads to produce weird pops and whistles. The rest of the year these birds melt away into the great sagebrush plains that are their only home. Habitat fragmentation and development have caused severe declines for this spectacular bird."
Photo taken on April 7, 2017, near Walden Colorado
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Won 1st Place in FAA's NATURALLY JAGGED EDGES contest, on 10/6/2023
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Descriptive tags and keywords for this image include greater sage grouse, grouse, sage grouse, tail, fan, starburst, tail feathers, display, strut, dance, lek, male, sagebrush, colorado, threatened, endangered, centrocercus urophasianus, centrocercus, game birds, birds, mating, courting, breeding, dancing, wild, wildlife, aves, avian, photo, photograph, photography, judi dressler, and dressler.
Uploaded
March 6th, 2018
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Viewed 2,085 Times - Last Visitor from Cambridge, MA on 04/23/2024 at 8:33 PM
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Comments (62)
Gary F Richards
Outstanding composition, lighting, shading, color and artwork! Congratulations on your Top Finish in the contest! F/L
Nancy Booth
What an AMAZING capture, Judi, you sure were at the right place and angle at the right time!! CONGRATULATIONS!!
Morris Finkelstein
Congratulations Judi on your First Place Finish in the "Naturally Jagged Edges" contest! F/L
Jennifer Jenson
Congratulations on your 1st Place Win in the Jagged Edges contest, Judi! Fabulous work!
Larry Kniskern
Congratulations, Judi β your stunning scene finished FIRST PLACE in the Go Take a Hike Photography Groupβs Naturally Jagged Edges photo contest! It will be placed on the group homepage as a special feature for the week, as well in the Contest Winners thread in the group discussion board for archive.
Morris Finkelstein
Fantastic photograph off a Sage Grouse with great timing, pose clarity, and composition, Judi! F/L/Voted
Alida M Haslett
Judy, Your gallery is amazing and I couldn't pick just one to comment on- I chose this today because I love tails! What a magnificent tail this grouse is showing off! LF
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