The greater sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a unique bird that depends on healthy sage grasslands to survive. Once abundant throughout the west, these birds are threatened by development, overgrazing, mining and drilling. When habitat damage takes place due to one of these activities, sagebrush ecosystems can take 25-100 years to recover. As the sagebrush ecosystem is destroyed, so is the birds' primary source of food and shelter, and the setting for the birds' traditional courting ritual.

Each spring, males gather at a traditional courtship location, called a lek, to court females. Up to a hundred males can gather at a single location. During mating displays, large mustard-colored throat pouches on the males' neck inflate with air, and they puff out their collar of bright white feathers. The males make cooing and popping noises to attract the females.

Sage grouse eat sagebrush almost exclusively during winter, and forbs (small flowering plants) in other seasons. They are not adapted to eat seeds, so unlike many birds, they will not eat corn, wheat, or other agricultural crops. They can live up to five years, with an average lifespan of a year and a half.

Center for Native Ecosystems is working with partners American Lands Alliance, Biodiversity Conservation Alliance, Sagebrush Sea Campaign and others to protect the greater sage grouse and its declining sagebrush habitat.