THE STATUS OF SAGE GROUSE (Centrocercus urophasianus urophasianus) IN CANADA

The sage grouse (Crentrocercus urophasianus) is the largest North American grouse and depends on sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) for diet and protective cover. The association with sagebrush limits the range of sage grouse to the range of sagebrush. As a result of the loss of native sagebrush-grasslands, the range of sage grouse has decreased by over 50% since the turn of the century. Sage grouse are considered a “threatened” species in Canada by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). In Canada, sage grouse are at the northern edge of the species’ range, occurring only in extreme southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan. Population trends based on spring lek surveys indicate that populations have experienced an 80% decrease from numbers in the early 1980s in Alberta, or from the late 1980s in Saskatchewan. The decline occurring in the rest of the range, although thought to be less severe, is most often attributed to the loss of habitat. Degradation of sagebrush habitat has resulted from human agricultural developments, oil and gas exploration, vehicular traffic, and the drought of the early 1980s. Sage grouse have been extirpated from British Columbia and three of at least 15 U.S. states known to previously support populations. In 1997, the Canadian sage grouse population was estimated at between 513 and 849 individuals (Aldridge 1998), which may not be high enough to sustain a viable population.