DRAFT Periodic Status Review for the Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse in Washington (2024)

The Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus), the rarest of six extant subspecies of Sharp-tailed Grouse, was the most abundant and important game bird in eastern Washington during the 19th century. However, numbers declined dramatically with the conversion to cropland of large areas of Palouse prairie, the Klickitat region, and arable shrub-steppe in the Columbia Basin. The statewide population continued to decline through the 20th century, and the species was listed as a state threatened species by the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission in 1998, and uplisted to endangered in 2018.

Habitat quantity, quality, and fragmentation limit the populations. Good Sharp-tailed Grouse nesting habitat contains a mix of perennial bunchgrasses, forbs, and a few shrubs. Critical winter habitats are riparian areas with deciduous trees and shrubs that provide cover, berries, seeds, buds, and catkins. Historically, the highest densities of Sharp-tailed Grouse were in mesic grassland and steppe types where annual precipitation averaged at least 11 inches annually. Most of these areas are now in cropland or orchards, and areas that were not converted to cropland typically have shallow soils or steep slopes, factors that negatively affect productivity for Sharp-tailed Grouse.

Sharp-tailed Grouse persist in eight scattered populations in Douglas, Lincoln, and Okanogan counties, and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Declines of some remnant populations have continued due to degradation of habitat, isolation, and possibly declining genetic health. At least one local population (Horse Springs Coulee) has gone extinct since 2000. The statewide population estimate had remained relatively stable since 2003, ranging from ~750 to ~1000 birds, but dropped precipitously following the 2020 wildfires and as of 2023 is estimated at 410 birds. The recent fires, which affected >700,000 acres of historical Sharp-tailed Grouse habitat, may improve habitat condition in some areas in the longer term by reducing trees and shrub, but the immediate effect was negative due to direct mortality from the fires and loss of nesting and winter riparian habitat. Essential winter riparian cover that was loss will take time to regenerate and/or will need to be replanted.

WDFW lands help support several of the remnant populations, but these lands alone are too small to support viable populations; surrounding private lands with suitable habitat is essential for recovery. The remaining populations in Washington are small, relatively isolated from one another, and unlikely to persist unless they increase in size. Habitat restoration and enhancement and population augmentation using birds from other states and British Columbia are ongoing, but additional areas need to be identified for future reintroductions and prioritized to help focus habitat restoration efforts.

We recommend that the Sharp-tailed Grouse remain listed as endangered in Washington.