BOISE, Idaho— Among the diverse array of western habitats available to them, greater sage-grouse require sagebrush-dominated landscapes with extremely minimal levels of human land use according to USGS researchers who detailed the scientific results in a recently published report about the ecological conditions needed by this large, ground-dwelling bird.

They appear like ghosts before light: small groups of plump birds standing amongst the sagebrush. They puff up, tail feathers erect, chest extended. Large air sacs are inflated on their breasts, making a distinct plop.

I’m on the spring display grounds of the greater sage grouse …

A new Sage Grouse Initiative video released this week showcases the Wyoming model for saving sage grouse, a strategy that’s spreading across the other 10 western states working to prevent a listing under the Endangered Species Act.

The Sage Grouse Initiative, launched by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in 2010, applies Farm Bill dollars strategically where the funding will make the greatest difference. The goal is to recover sage grouse through voluntary, incentive-based programs rather than a listing under the Endangered Species Act.

Canada’s only viable population of sage grouse depends on habitats in two countries. The revelation that the birds migrate 70 to 120 miles south each winter came from USDA science advisor Dave Naugle’s radio-tracking study in Grasslands National Park (near the border).

Have you ever been in the southern Great Plains or the high sagebrush steppe on a crisp April morning and heard mysterious cackling or bubbling sounds carried on the winds?