SHARP-TAILED GROUSE Tympanuchus phasianellus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Accepted: NA; the former existence of a California population is affirmed
Not accepted: NA	CBRC review: records of all extant specimens
Not submitted/reviewed: NA	Color image: none

This species is resident locally from central Alaska east to west-central Quebec and south to northeastern Washington, Colorado, and northern Michigan. The range once extended south to eastern Oregon, northeastern California, northeastern Nevada, northeastern New Mexico, Oklahoma, Iowa, northern Illinois, and probably northern Texas. An incipient population in northeastern Oregon may have been founded by wandering birds from nearby Idaho. Reintroduction efforts have taken place in northern Nevada (Floyd et al. 2007).

According to Grinnell and Miller (1944), the Sharp-tailed Grouse occurred historically on the Modoc Plateau in Modoc, Shasta, and Lassen Counties, where it was abundant until around 1880 and persisted in dwindling numbers until around 1915. As part of the CBRC’s review of older records (Roberson 1993), seven records of this species (nos. 1985-151 to 1985-157, covering the period 1855–1915; see Roberson 1993 for details) were reviewed and accepted.

 

[NORTHERN BOBWHITE Colinus virginianus (Linnaeus, 1758) – see hypothetical section]