The Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse in BC

In British Columbia, we have three subspecies of Sharp-tailed Grouse.  Two of them, the Alaskan (Tympanuchus phasianellus caurus) and prairie (T. p. jamesi) sharptails occur in the northern part of the province.  A third subspecies, the Columbian sharptail (T.p. columbianus) can be found in grasslands, clearcuts, and meadow complexes in the southern and central interior of BC.

We know little about sharptails inhabiting the northern portions of our province.  We do, however, know something about the Columbian subspecies that live in native grasslands.

Unfortunately, what we know is that this subspecies has declined significantly in most of our grasslands.  The Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse has disappeared from the Okanagan Valley and are virtually gone from the East Kootenays.
 

In fact, the Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse has declined throughout most of the North American prairies.  The reasons for the decline are related to habitat loss and degradation.  Large expanses of native grasslands have been converted to agriculture, and the use of the remaining grasslands is sometimes not compatible with the needs of sharptails.

More than 70 percent of BC’s grasslands are on private land.  Therefore, working with ranchers, First Nations and the range management community to develop and implement ecologically and economically sustainable range management practices is critical to ensure the continued existence of the Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse in our grasslands.

A Sharp-tailed Grouse Stewardship Program is underway in the Thompson-Nicola region using research, stewardship, and habitat enhancement and restoration efforts to increase current sharptail populations in BC’s grasslands.

For more information on the Sharp-tailed Grouse, click on the following links: