The sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) is a medium-sized prairie grouse found in the grasslands of western North America. In Alberta, sharp-tailed grouse occupy native fescue grasslands and aspen parklands in the central and southern regions of the province. Their range extends from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains eastward to the Saskatchewan border. Once abundant on the prairies, sharp-tailed grouse have experienced significant population declines throughout their range due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Understanding the current status of sharp-tailed grouse populations in Alberta is important for developing appropriate conservation and management strategies for this species.
Population Trends
Historically, sharp-tailed grouse were widespread and abundant across the prairie regions of Alberta. Early accounts describe them as one of the most common upland gamebirds, with flocks of hundreds or even thousands of birds observed. However, the conversion of native grasslands to cropland in the late 1800s and early 1900s resulted in substantial habitat loss and fragmentation. This led to sharp declines in sharp-tailed grouse populations across the Canadian prairies and central United States. In Alberta, agricultural expansion and wetland drainage were most extensive in the central and northern parklands, likely contributing to the extirpation of sharp-tailed grouse from some regions.
More recently, sharp-tailed grouse populations in Alberta have continued to decline, though at a slower rate. Data from the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute indicates a 1.5% per year population decline between 1970 and 2015. Christmas Bird Count data from Bird Studies Canada shows a 1.8% annual decline between 1970 and 2012. Overall, it is estimated that sharp-tailed grouse currently occupy less than 30% of their former range in Alberta. Populations are now largely restricted to the drier mixed-grass and fescue grasslands in southeastern Alberta, with smaller, more isolated populations in central Alberta.
Distribution
The current distribution of sharp-tailed grouse in Alberta is fragmented across their historical range. The majority of the remaining populations occur in the Grassland Natural Region of southeastern Alberta, between the South Saskatchewan River and the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. Within this region, higher densities of sharp-tails are found in native fescue grasslands near Onefour, Suffield National Wildlife Area, Milk River Ridge, and Cypress Hills Provincial Park. Smaller, more isolated populations persist in the central and north-central parklands, including around Rumsey, Provost, Cold Lake, Winefred Lake, and east of Edmonton near Elk Island National Park and Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area.
In terms of provincial landcover, most sharp-tailed grouse in Alberta are now found in the Dry Mixedgrass natural subregion (45%), followed by Mixedgrass natural subregion (30%), Foothills Fescue natural subregion (10%), Central Parkland (7%), and Northern Fescue natural subregion (4%). The remaining 4% occur in the Central Mixedwood and Peace River Parkland subregions. Overall, native grasslands with shrubby aspen uplands provide the best remaining habitat for sustaining sharp-tailed grouse in Alberta.
Habitat Trends
The decline of the sharp-tailed grouse in Alberta is closely linked to the extensive loss, degradation, and fragmentation of native prairie habitats. It is estimated that since European settlement, Alberta has lost approximately 60% of its original grassland cover. Much of this loss occurred between 1890 and 1930 as native prairie was converted to agricultural cropland. More recent losses have been due to expanding oil and gas development, rural residential development, and afforestation. Ongoing habitat fragmentation from roads, fencelines, and other linear disturbances also degrades the suitability of remaining grasslands for sharp-tailed grouse.
Specifically, several key habitat requirements for sharp-tailed grouse have been negatively impacted:
- Nesting cover – The native fescue grasslands preferred for nesting cover have declined by 79% in Alberta.
- Brood-rearing habitat – The loss of wetlands and brushy uplands has reduced chick survival.
- Winter cover – Heavy grazing and cropland expansion has reduced the availability of standing residual cover for winter shelter.
- Lek sites – Habitat loss around traditional mating arenas (leks) has impacted breeding success.
Habitat suitability models indicate that less than 10% of the current range of sharp-tailed grouse in Alberta provides high quality year-round habitat. Protecting existing habitat patches and restoring connectivity between them is critical for the persistence of sharp-tailed grouse populations.
Population Genetics
Genetic studies of sharp-tailed grouse in Alberta suggest very little gene flow between the southeastern and central populations. Analysis of DNA microsatellite markers found that these two population clusters are genetically distinct, with low levels of genetic diversity within each cluster. This is indicative of small, isolated populations that have lost genetic variation through genetic drift. Lack of gene flow and genetic bottlenecks can lead to inbreeding depression and loss of adaptive potential over time. Maintaining landscape connectivity between populations will be important for preserving the genetic health of sharp-tailed grouse in Alberta.
Threats
The sharp-tailed grouse faces a variety of ongoing threats and population pressures in Alberta:
- Habitat loss – Continued loss of native fescue grasslands to agriculture, industry, roads, and rural development.
- Habitat degradation – Heavy grazing, invasive species, petroleum exploration, and herbicide application altering grassland structure and composition.
- Habitat fragmentation – Linear disturbances and increasing patch isolation disrupting daily and seasonal movements.
- Demographic impacts – Small, declining population size leading to reduced genetic variation, inbreeding depression, and susceptibility to disease.
- Climate change – Changes in seasonal temperature and precipitation patterns affecting reproductive success and survival.
- Predation – Nest predation rates are high from coyotes, red foxes, crows, magpies, and other predators.
Understanding and addressing these threats through habitat management, population monitoring, predator management, and other measures will be key to recovering sharp-tailed grouse populations.
Legal Protection and Conservation Status
Sharp-tailed grouse currently receive some legal protections in Alberta, but their conservation status indicates populations remain vulnerable:
- Listed as Sensitive under Alberta’s Wildlife Act since 1996.
- Ranked as S4 (Apparently Secure) provincially by Alberta Conservation Information Management System (ACIMS).
- Designated as Threatened under Canada’s federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) as of 2003.
- Classified as Near Threatened globally on the IUCN Red List.
While hunting of sharp-tailed grouse is permitted in Alberta under regulated limits, conservation groups have advocated for a moratorium on hunting to support population recovery. Ongoing monitoring, protection of remaining habitat, and restoration efforts on private and crown lands will also be important conservation measures.
Population Targets and Objectives
The Alberta Sharp-tailed Grouse Recovery Plan includes the following population and distribution objectives for supporting the recovery of sharp-tailed grouse in the province:
- Increase the Alberta population to above 35,000 birds within 10 years.
- Increase the amount of suitable sharp-tailed grouse habitat by at least 20%.
- Enhance connectivity by establishing habitat corridors linking fragmented populations.
- Restore extirpated populations by reintroducing sharp-tailed grouse to selected sites within 5 years.
Achieving these targets will require coordinated efforts between government, landowners, industry, non-profits, and indigenous communities. Voluntary stewardship programs that provide financial incentives for grassland conservation on private lands hold promise for expanding sharp-tail habitat in Alberta.
Management and Recovery Actions
Current management priorities for sharp-tailed grouse recovery in Alberta include:
- Protecting intact native grasslands through land-use zoning, conservation easements, and Habitat Conservation Strategies.
- Restoring croplands and marginal lands back to grassland habitat.
- Improving grazing management on grasslands to promote habitat structure for breeding, brood-rearing, and winter thermal cover needs.
- Establishing habitat corridors of at least 2 km width to connect disjunct populations.
- Managing encroaching shrubs and trees through prescribed burning, brush mowing, grazing, or herbicides.
- Monitoring population trends through lek counts, brood surveys, hunter harvest reports, and occupancy modeling.
- Supporting population recovery through predator management, restocking/relocation, and hunting regulation adjustments as needed.
- Increasing education and outreach to foster landowner participation in grassland conservation programs.
Implementing these management actions through the combined efforts of resource agencies, landowners, conservation groups and other stakeholders provides the best opportunity for recovering sustainable sharp-tailed grouse populations in Alberta’s remaining grassland habitats.
Research Needs
While significant progress has been made, some key knowledge gaps remain for effectively managing sharp-tailed grouse populations in Alberta:
- Improved understanding of seasonal habitat requirements and use.
- Quantifying impact of petroleum exploration and roads on habitat suitability.
- Understanding population response to changes in grazing, fire, and climate patterns.
- Assessing feasibility of translocation efforts between isolated populations.
- Determining impact of harvest and predation on population growth.
- Effects of population size, density, and connectivity on demographic performance.
Focused research studies on these issues will help refine habitat, population, and harvest models for guiding future management decisions and actions for sharp-tailed grouse recovery.
Partnerships and Community Engagement
Recovering sustainable sharp-tailed grouse populations in Alberta will require engagement, partnerships, and voluntary stewardship among diverse stakeholders:
- Provincial and federal government agencies – Policy, funding, habitat management, population monitoring.
- Municipalities – Development planning, conservation incentives on Crown lands.
- Indigenous communities – Traditional ecological knowledge, co-management opportunities.
- Landowners – Habitat enhancement, sustainable grazing practices.
- Industry – Collaboration to minimize habitat impacts, site restoration.
- NGOs – Habitat securement, research, education programs.
- Hunters/Recreational groups – Population monitoring, habitat projects, regulation compliance.
Building connections between these various stakeholders and communities is key for coordinating efforts and gaining broad support. Outreach initiatives such as landowner workshops, school educational programs, and community science involvement can help strengthen public engagement in sharp-tailed grouse conservation.
Conclusion
In summary, sharp-tailed grouse have experienced substantial population declines and range contractions in Alberta due to widespread habitat loss and fragmentation. Remaining birds are found in fragmented distributions in the southeastern grasslands and central aspen parklands. Ongoing threats from industry, climate change and habitat degradation continue to pressure populations. Recovery efforts are focused on securing protected areas, improving habitat management, restoring connectivity, population monitoring, and community involvement. Successfully implementing these conservation actions through collaborative partnerships offers hope for restoring sustainable sharp-tailed grouse populations on Alberta’s prairie landscapes.