Dusky Grouse
Dusky Grouse has surged: up 411% on the route-weighted index since 1972.
About the Dusky Grouse
The Dusky Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus) is a North American member of the Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys (Phasianidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the game birds.
- Size
- 12–47 in long (30–120 cm) — a ground-dwelling game bird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Fields, brushland, prairie and the forest floor, where it forages and nests on the ground.
- Diet
- Seeds, grain, buds, leaves and insects gathered on the ground.
- Range
- Recorded on 120 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 10 states, most concentrated in the Northern Rockies.
- Family
- Phasianidae · Game birds
Notable Dusky Grouse Trends
No notable trend signals for Dusky Grouse. See the full index history below.
Dusky Grouse Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Dusky Grouse is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.01 (95% range 0.00–0.01). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±68.6%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| 2026 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| 2027 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| 2028 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| 2029 | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
Where the Dusky Grouse Is Detected
BBS routes recording Dusky Grouse, sized by most recent count.
Dusky Grouse Population Trend by State
| Arizona | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Colorado | -78% | 1975 | 42 |
| Idaho | -81% | 1976 | 8 |
| Montana | -61% | 1984 | 19 |
| Nevada | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| New Mexico | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Oregon | +67% | 1998 | 13 |
| Utah | -36% | 1998 | 13 |
| Washington | -61% | 1992 | 10 |
| Wyoming | -65% | 1993 | 11 |
Dusky Grouse Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Great Basin | -67% | 1976 | 6 |
| Northern Rockies | +27% | 1976 | 57 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | -68% | 1975 | 56 |
Dusky Grouse Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 411% since 1972.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.