This population also extends into northwestern Colorado. Few males mate with all females in area. Females lay an average of 12 eggs in a nest composed of soft vegetation. Nest often located under shrubs, small trees or dense vegetation. Precocial chicks are able to walk almost immediately after hatching and can fly at about 10 days.
Chicks initially eat insects and gradually switch to vegetation over the summer.
A petition was recently filed to have this sub-species listed as threatened under the Endengered Species Act. The Columbina Sharp-tailed Grouse historically ranged throughout much of the Wesetern U.S. and British Columbia in appropriate habitats. The populations may have initially been most heavily impacted by hunting, but current pressures also include habitat loss, herbicides, grazing and fire suppression. Dorn, J. L. and R. D. Dorn. 1999. Wyoming Birds, second edition.