sharp-tailed grouse

American  

[shahrp-teyld] / ˈʃɑrpˌteɪld /

noun

1. a grouse, Pedioecetes phasianellus, of prairies and open forests of western North America, similar in size to the prairie chicken but with a more pointed tail.

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Etymology

Origin of sharp-tailed grouse

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85

Example Sentences

He brakes his pickup truck as an antelope bounds away and points to a handful of sharp-tailed grouse on a flat area where males gather during mating season to strut and dance.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 25, 2023

Cattle rancher Brian Sprenger never saw sharp-tailed grouse as a kid, when much of the rangeland near Sidney, Nebraska, was overgrazed or farmed.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 25, 2023

Officials estimate the flames have also killed 30% to 70% of the state’s sage grouse and sharp-tailed grouse, birds that also depend on sagebrush.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 30, 2020

Similar trends have been at play for sharp-tailed grouse in Michigan and eastern Minnesota.

From Washington Times • Jul. 28, 2020

Wyoming: Sage grouse and sharp-tailed grouse are becoming extinct, both in Wyoming and North Dakota.

From Our Vanishing Wild Life Its Extermination and Preservation by Hornaday, William Temple