CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - Sage grouse numbers are holding steady in Wyoming.
Hunters reported killing about the same number of sage grouse chicks as adults in 2020, similar to the ratio in 2019, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
The ratio suggests the bird’s overall numbers are neither growing nor shrinking right now but remaining steady at the bottom of a recent downturn, the Casper Star-Tribune reported.
“It appears Wyoming’s sage grouse populations are flattening out at the trough of the cycle,” biologist Leslie Schreiber said. “A growing population needs at least 1.5 chicks/hen.”
Sage grouse numbers fluctuate widely. Scientists speculate changes in habitat, available food and weather play roles.
The chicken-sized, ground-dwelling birds live in about a dozen Western states. Wyoming is home to over one-third of the overall population.
The birds’ sagebrush habitat and numbers have declined dramatically over the past several decades.
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