Sage Grouse Helping Songbirds

The sage grouse is a big topic of discussion on lands in the West, but a new study says some other birds might get protection underneath the grouse's feathers.  Researchers found three songbirds that live alongside the grouse have benefited from efforts to conserve sagebrush and grouse habitat throughout 11 western states including Oregon.  Patrick Donnelly, one of the research authors, said conservation efforts are focused on areas with lots of sage grouse and his research shows the effects of that on the other birds.

"We found the correlation with songbirds was even greater. So where we have more grouse, we have even more songbirds. And our conservation strategies are focusing on those very specific places. It's a win-win for both species."

The research focused on three species of songbirds: the Brewer's sparrow, sage thrasher and sagebrush sparrow. Donnelly added there are 170 sagebrush species that could benefit from being under the umbrella of grouse conservation efforts.

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