Greater Prairie Chicken vs Sharp-tailed Grouse

Greater Prairie Chicken

Tympanuchus cupido

Large870 gGrassland

Adults of both sexes are medium to large chicken-like birds, stocky with round wings. They have short tails which are typically rounded. Adult males have orange comb-like feathers over their eyes and dark, elongated head feathers that can be raised or lain along neck. They also possess a circular, un-feathered neck patch which can be inflated while displaying; this, like their comb feathers, is also orange. As with many other bird species, the adult females have shorter head feathers and also lack the male's yellow comb and orange neck patch.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: GregTheBusker · CC BY 2.0

Sharp-tailed Grouse

Tympanuchus phasianellus

Large882 gGrassland

Adults have a relatively short tail with the two central (deck) feathers being square-tipped and somewhat longer than their lighter, outer tail feathers giving the bird its distinctive name. The plumage is mottled dark and light browns against a white background, they are lighter on the underparts with a white belly uniformly covered in faint V-shaped markings. These markings distinguish sharp-tailed grouse from lesser and greater prairie chickens which are heavily barred on their underparts. Adult males have a yellow comb over their eyes and a violet display patch on their neck.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie · Public domain

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Greater Prairie Chicken and Sharp-tailed Grouse.