Centrocercus urophasianus
L 28"(71 cm).

Song or calls:
Displaying males make loud, bubbly popping noises while inflating and deflating air sacs.

Description: Large size distinctive. Long pointed tail, black belly and throat, white breast, and yellow eye combs. Displaying male fans tail and tilts forward, then inflates neck and breast with pair of naked yellow-green air sacs. Female is smaller, with black belly and uniformly barred head, back, and breast.

Habitat: Open plains and grasslands with sagebrush areas.

Food: Commonly feeds on sagebrush buds and leaves. Also nests in sagebrush.

Where in Nebraska: Probably extirpated from Nebraska as breeder. Displaying birds seen in Sioux County, Nebraska, but no actual records of breeding.

Fun Facts: Sage Grouse males dance to attract and mate with females on established breeding grounds called "leks", often returning to them year after year.