SUMMER HABITAT USE BY COLUMBIAN SHARP-TAILED GROUSE IN WESTERN IDAHO

We studied habitat use by Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) during 3 winters in western Idaho. Grouse were closely associated with mountain shrub and riparian cover types, the only cover types that provided food and escape cover regardless of snow depth. Fruits of Douglas hawthorn (Crataegus douglassi) and buds of Saskatoon serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) and common chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) were the main winter foods. Hawthorn buds apparently were not eaten by grouse. Because hawthorn fruits were not available throughout the winter, plants producing palatable buds or catkins should be present to provide food during late winter and in years when fruit production is