Greater sage-grouse strut display

Male greater sage-grouse strut displays on a lek near Hudson, Wyoming USA. During the spring, males gather on breeding grounds, called leks. Males perform strut displays to court females and define their display territories on the lek. The "burp" sounds occur when males inhale or exhale air from their vocal sac (they inflate their esophagus with air, which we see protruding through 2 colorful regions on their chest during display). A few attractive males will mate with almost all of the females who visit the lek, and most males will not mate at all. Females raise the young on their own.

Filmed by Gail Patricelli near Hudson, WY, with a Sony HDR-FX1 HDV Digital Camcorder as part of a long-term study of sage-grouse behavior at the University of California Davis, funded by the National Science Foundation. Visit the Patricelli Lab website for more information:
http://patricellilab.faculty.ucdavis....

Sage-grouse are sensitive to human disturbance and easily spooked! If you're interested in observing a sage-grouse lek, contact your local wildlife managers (Bureau of Land Management or state wildlife agency) to learn which leks to visit and how to minimize your impact on the birds. Here are some tips: https://www.sagegrouseinitiative.com/...