Gunnison grouse

Gunnison sage-grouse
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Centrocercus
Species:
C. minimus
Binomial name
Centrocercus minimus
Young, Braun, C, Oyler-McCance, Hupp & Quinn, 2000[4]
Gunnison sage-grouse range[5][6]

The Gunnison grouse, Gunnison sage-grouse or lesser sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) is a species of grouse endemic to the United States. It is similar to the closely related greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in appearance, but about a third smaller in size, with much thicker plumes behind the head; it also has a less elaborate courtship dance. It is restricted in range to southwestern Colorado and extreme southeastern Utah, with the largest population residing in the Gunnison Basin region in Colorado. Despite being native to a country where the avifauna is relatively well known, it was overlooked until the 1990s due to the similarities with the sage grouse, and only described as a new species in 2000—making it the first new avian species to be described from the USA since the 19th century.[7] The description of C. minimus as a separate species is supported by a molecular study of genetic variation, showing that gene flow between the large-bodied and the small-bodied birds is absent.[8]

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2020). "Centrocercus minimus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22728472A152508115. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22728472A152508115.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  3. ^ 79 FR 69192
  4. ^ "Centrocercus minimus Young, C. Braun, Oyler-McCance, Hupp & Quinn, 2000". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  5. ^ BirdLife International and NatureServe (2014) Bird Species Distribution Maps of the World. 2012. Centrocercus minimus. In: IUCN 2014. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. http://www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 30 May 2015.
  6. ^ National Geophysical Data Center, 1999. Global Land One-kilometer Base Elevation (GLOBE) v.1. Hastings, D. and P.K. Dunbar. National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA. doi:10.7289/V52R3PMS [access date: 2015-03-16].
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference r2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference r1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).