Skip to Content Area

All About Birds

Donate

All About Birds

All About Birds

Birds
Live Cams
Courses
Bird ID

Gunnison Sage-Grouse Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

© DAVID BROWN | Macaulay Library Colorado, April 13, 2009

Lekking
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
ColoradoRecorded by Andrew Spencer | Macaulay Library
Lekking
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
Colorado, April 01, 2009Recorded by Gerrit Vyn | Macaulay Library
Calls
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
ColoradoRecorded by Andrew Spencer | Macaulay Library
Calls
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
ColoradoRecorded by Andrew Spencer | Macaulay Library
Calls
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
ColoradoRecorded by Andrew Spencer | Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Calls

Off the lek, males make a soft wut call when warning others of predators. Females give a variety of calls, though their function has not been well studied. When accompanying a brood, females have both a contact call, and a call to warn their young of danger. To distract or confront a predator, they use a loud hissing call. Females also call when soliciting males on the lek.

Other Sounds

The outlandish male strutting display is a complex, finely timed sequence of sounds, both vocal and mechanical. It begins with three wing shushes, separated by about one second, that are achieved by the male heaving his vocal sacs, enclosed in a neck pouch, through his wings that are held rigidly at his side. The shush sound is produced when the rough feathers on the neck pouch are dragged through his wings, and is only heard when the bird is very close by. In between the wing shushs are a set of low coos and pops that collectively sound like a bubbling. After the three shushes, the male expels air from his esophageal sac, making a burp-like sound, and shimmies his tail.

Compare with Similar Species

Click on an image to compare

Greater Sage-Grouse

Greater Sage-Grouse

Sharp-tailed Grouse

Ring-necked Pheasant

Looking for ID Help?

Get Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds.

Try Merlin Bird ID

Species in This Family

Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies(Order: Galliformes, Family: Phasianidae)

Greater Sage-Grouse

Gunnison Sage-Grouse

Sharp-tailed Grouse

Greater Prairie-Chicken

Lesser Prairie-Chicken

White-tailed Ptarmigan

Willow Ptarmigan

Ring-necked Pheasant

Browse Species in This Family

More to Read

How to Recognize Duck Courtship Displays
Bird ID Skills: How to Learn Bird Songs and Calls
How Can I Share My Bird Photos With the Cornell Lab?

About Suet, Mealworms, and Other Bird Foods
Project FeederWatch
Tricky Bird IDs
Attract Birds With Birdbaths

About Us

Contact Us

© 2023 Cornell University

Need Bird ID Help? Try Merlin

Search for species name or keywords

Or Browse Bird Guide by Family or Shape

Need Bird ID Help? Try Merlin

Don't miss a thing! Join our email list

The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.