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Court upholds protection for Gunnison sage grouse in Colorado, Utah

By 09/28/2018 | updated 7 years ago
Male greater sage grouse perform mating rituals for a female grouse on a lake outside Walden, Colorado, in a 2013 file photo.

A rare bird found only in Colorado and Utah will stay on the endangered species list, at least for now.

A federal judge in Denver on Friday upheld a 2014 decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the Gunnison sage grouse as a threatened species.

State and county governments in Colorado and Utah had challenged the decision. Colorado officials said they haven’t decided whether to appeal.

Only about 5,000 Gunnison sage grouse remain in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah.

The Gunnison grouse is related to the larger and more numerous greater sage grouse.

Greater sage grouse can be up to 2 feet tall and weigh 5 pounds, while the Gunnison birds are about one-third smaller.

Both are ground-dwelling birds known for the males’ elaborate mating rituals.

In this April 20, 2013, photo, male greater sage grouse perform mating rituals for a female grouse, not pictured, on a lake outside Walden, Colo. The Bureau of Land Management released a nearly 1,000-page document late Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016, proposing restrictions on energy development, roads and grazing. The proposed restrictions aim to protect the rare Gunnison sage grouse, a bird found only in Colorado and Utah. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
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