Gunnison Sage-Grouse
Gunnison Sage-Grouse has declined: down 37% on the route-weighted index since 1995.
About the Gunnison Sage-Grouse
The Gunnison Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus minimus) 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 7 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 2 states, most concentrated in the Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau.
- Family
- Phasianidae · Game birds
Notable Gunnison Sage-Grouse Trends
No notable trend signals for Gunnison Sage-Grouse. See the full index history below.
Gunnison Sage-Grouse Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Gunnison Sage-Grouse is projected to stay roughly flat through 2028, near 0.00 (95% range 0.00–0.01). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±186.9%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| 2025 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| 2026 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| 2027 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| 2028 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
Where the Gunnison Sage-Grouse Is Detected
BBS routes recording Gunnison Sage-Grouse, sized by most recent count.
Gunnison Sage-Grouse Population Trend by State
| Colorado | -77% | 1995 | 6 |
| Utah | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
Gunnison Sage-Grouse Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | -76% | 1995 | 7 |
Gunnison Sage-Grouse Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 37% since 1995.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.