Sharp tailed grouse.

 Recently we were invited to visit Manitoulin Island to see a sharp tailed grouse lek.

What a great time. We saw the birds up close from a blind and saw about 40 birds.






Tympanuchus phasianellus
Scientists place Sharp-tailed Grouse in genus Tympanuchus, the prairie-chickens. The word means “drum nape” and refers to the purple air sacs (extensions of the esophagus) that displaying males inflate at the side of the neck. These sacs are not simply adornments. They amplify the male’s cooing courtship call and may help to show off his overall health.

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