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Upland Identification Guide

Photo by Craig Bihrle

Each fall, thousands of North Dakota hunters clip wings, these questions – based on samples of hundreds or thousands feet and/or pull from upland game they bag. of birds – are vital. Biologists and wardens collect some of these parts as part of To an individual hunter, whether a sharptail is a male or their fi eld work. Th e majority are dutifully placed in postage-paid female, or whether a rooster is a juvenile or adult, envelopes and mailed by hunters to the Game and Fish Depart- is little more than simple curiosity. Th is guide is designed to ment’s Bismarck offi ce. satisfy that curiosity – to show indicators biologists use to Wing envelopes begin arriving in mid-September, shortly determine sex and/or age. It does not show every possible after sharptail, Hungarian , ruff ed and sage indicator for each species, but that isn’t necessary. It covers grouse seasons open. Biologists examine the contents of each things biologists get from wing envelopes, and that is almost envelope. By looking at key indicators on feathers and feet, they always enough. determine age and sex of each bird. When all information is When you know what to look for, you can usually make a tallied, we have a pretty good idea about the ratio of adults (birds pretty good guess as to the sex and/or age of the birds in your that have survived at least one winter) to juveniles (birds hatched bag (even biologists are occasionally stumped). If nothing else, in the current year) harvested, which allows the Department to you can impress your partners with your new-found assess reproductive success from the previous summer. knowledge. Hunters who pursue North Dakota’s , sharp-tailed Even if you think you’ve become an expert, keep those grouse, Hungarian partridge, ruff ed grouse, sage grouse and wild wings, feet and feathers coming. A good sample size means turkeys are responsible for species identifi cation before pulling good information to base future seasons. the trigger. Sex identifi cation isn’t necessary (or possible in most cases), except for pheasant and spring hunters, where hens Some Basics... are not legal game. Th is guide covers fi ve species of non-migratory game Normally, species identifi cation of birds on the wing is birds in North Dakota – ring-necked pheasant, sharp-tailed obvious. However, hunters sometimes mistake hen pheasants for grouse, Hungarian partridge, ruff ed grouse and sage grouse. sharp-tailed grouse, or young pheasants for sharptails or par- Certain indicators of age apply to these species – most of the tridge. Such mistakes are usually made early in grouse season, time. before pheasants are legal. A good rule to follow is that if you’re But the indicators may change as the hunting season goes not positive about the identity of your target, don’t shoot. You’ll on. Jerry Kobriger, upland game management supervisor for get other chances. the Department, said it’s usually easier to separate juveniles Once you’ve from adults in September than it is in November, when feath- 10 got a bird in hand, ers are usually done growing. you should know For all species except pheasant, the key to age is hidden 9 what kind it is. But in the wing, specifi cally the outer three large feathers called 8 how do you know if primaries. For identifi cation purposes, these feathers are num- it’s a male or female bered. Th e outermost primary is number 10, the next one in 7 (pheasants exclud- is nine, the third one is eight, and so on. Each species has 10 ed)? Did the bird primary feathers. 6 hatch this summer, or did it survive Th is photo shows the last winter? To outer three primaries biologists charged of an adult sage grouse with managing upland game populations and seasons, answers to wing. Note the rounded tips and smooth edges. Adults of all upland For all our upland game species except pheasants, the key to species as well as determining whether the bird is an adult or young-of-the-year is the fully-molted juvenile appearance of the outer three primary wing feathers. Th e outermost pheasants, exhibit the large wing is numbered 10. Th e next one in is number nine, same characteristics – the next one is eight, and so on. While this is a sharptail wing, Smooth rounded feather tips and rounded tips: adult feather numbers are the same for all species. smooth edges.

North Dakota Game and Fish Department PLOTS Guide – 2012 A good general rule for gists to know the age and sex of a harvested bird. You’ll have determining age, Kobriger the whole bird. It should be easy, right? said, is to look at the under- Th e following pages contain text and photos that should side of the number nine and provide basic knowledge of upland game identifi cation. 10 primaries. Pull back some Have it handy when you clean your birds. It will help you of the small covert feathers learn more about the birds you bagged. If you use it enough, so you can see the “quill” part you may reach a point where you no longer need it. of the primary feather. If the quill part is blue and soft, Rooster Pheasant... Pointed frayed that indicates the feather is A hunter needs to know the dif- edges: juvenile still growing. ference between a hen and rooster “If the outer two feath- pheasant before he or she pulls Th e outer three primaries ers – number nine and 10 – the trigger. Most of the time, the shown here are attached to are still growing,” Kobriger identity of the fl ushing bird is the wing of a juvenile sage said, then it’s an adult. On obvious. grouse. Note the pointedness the other hand, if the number Th ere are situations, though, and frayed edges on the eighth eight and/or seven primaries when it is good to hesitate or and ninth primaries. Th ese are still growing, then the hold back. Birds fl ushing into characteristics are the same for bird is likely a juvenile. a rising or setting sun are often a juveniles of all upland species When wing primaries tough call. It’s not always possible to except pheasants. Also note are fully grown, the quill part hunt pheasants with the sun at your the specks and more mottled becomes hard and white or back, but it’s a good idea. coloring of the juvenile wing, light gray. “Th en you have to When your eyes can’t make a positive ID on a pheasant, compared to the adult. Refer to look at the wear and contour your ears might be able to lend some help. Rooster pheas- these pictures when you get to between eight and nine and ants often crow or cackle when they launch. Hens are silent the sage grouse section. 10,” Kobriger said. except for the rush of their beating wings. To check wear of the Early in the pheasant season, juvenile roosters can be outer primaries, look at the top side of the wing. If the ends of fully-colored or hardly colored at all. Consider the photo the outer two feathers are somewhat rounded and smooth, the shown below. Both birds were taken on opening day of bird is likely an adult. If ends are more pointed and frayed, the pheasant season on adjoining sections of land. Both birds bird is likely a juvenile. were juveniles, but one was fully colored, the other more Th is rule applies to all birds covered here, except pheasants. closely resembled a hen. Whether a rooster pheasant is an adult or juvenile is determined Th e latter bird fl ushed close to the hunter, showing by the length and appearance of the between the foot and enough color to indicate rooster, but the hunter wasn’t knee. positive enough Sex determination is diff erent for each species. For pheas- to shoot until ants, the diff erence is obvious. For sharptails, key indicators are the bird made a coloration of the central two tail feathers and the feathers on feeble cackle on the top of the head. For Huns, it’s its way up. feather coloration on the shoulder Identifying of the wing, and for turkey it’s the the half-colored breast feather color pattern. Th e bird as a juvenile sex of a ruff ed grouse is best de- was easy. Adult termined by dot patterns on rump roosters molt in feathers, while sage grouse are summer, but they sexed by color patterns of feathers are fully-colored under the tail. again by early Th ese two roosters were taken on an opening Just a few feathers and part of fall. Th e key to day of pheasant season, within a mile of each a wing or foot is all it takes for a determining age other. Both are young-of-the-year birds. Th e Department upland game biolo- between fully- bottom bird is obviously a juvenile. Th e top Th is photo shows the underside of a sage grouse wing. You can colored juvenile bird is fully colored. To tell whether the top judge this bird as an adult, because the ninth and 10th primaries roosters, and bird is an adult or juvenile, you need to check are still growing, as evidenced by the bluish “quill” section. If the adults, is the spur length and appearance of the spurs. eighth or seventh primaries look like the feathers in this photo, located on each of and the ninth and 10th primaries are not growing, the bird is the pheasant’s legs a juvenile. Th ese characteristics apply to all upland species except between the foot and knee. pheasant. Later in the season, when all feathers are completely All rooster pheasants have spurs, while hens don’t. grown, the “quill” part of the outer primaries will be white and Th at’s why a foot left on a dressed pheasant is adequate for hard. When this occurs, gauging the appearance of the outer three determining sex. primaries will tell you if the bird is a juvenile or adult.

PLOTS Guide – 2012 North Dakota Game and Fish Department More than Less than 3/4”: adult 3/4”: juvenile Spur length to include in a wing envelope. Th ere’s a good reason for can vary from that. Photos in this section show the area of the sharptail just a small nub head from which the feathers come, and also a comparison on a very young between head feathers from a male and female grouse. bird, to more When you get a grouse in your hand, pull out a couple of than 3/4 of an feathers from the top of the head. You inch, including should be able to identify sex from leg bone, on adult those feathers. Male head feathers birds. Th e general are black with a buff -colored or tan rule for determin- outside border. Female head feath- Th e spurs on the legs of rooster ing a rooster’s age ers exhibit alternating buff and black pheasants are the key to telling is if the spur is less than a stripes. whether the bird is a juvenile 3/4-inch in length, includ- If head feathers don’t do it, look or adult. In this photo, the two ing the leg bone, the bird at the central tail feathers. Th e tips of legs on the left came from birds is young-of-the-year. If the these tail feathers look similar, so you that had survived at least one spur is more than 3/4-inch need to pull them out, or pull back winter. Th e legs on the right came long, including the leg the feathers that cover much of the from young-of-the-year birds. bone, the bird is an adult. tail. Central tail feathers of a female Spur length on an adult male If there is any doubt sharptail carry buff -black markings Feathers from the top of pheasant is generally 3/4 of an as to age based on spur similar to those of their head feathers. a sharptail’s head hold a inch or more, measured from the length, spur appearance is Male tail feathers have more white in key to telling whether the outside of the leg bone to the tip the deciding factor. If the them, and the striping or markings bird is a male or female. of the spur. Adult spurs are also spur is dull-colored, and aren’t as consistent. Th e photo shown usually shiny black and sharply the point is blunt and soft, at the bottom of this page shows male pointed. Juvenile roosters have the bird is a juvenile. If the and female sharp-tailed grouse central tail feathers. Before spurs that are less than 3/4 of an spur is black, shiny and you read the caption, see if you can tell which is which. inch, measured from the outside of sharply pointed, the bird is the leg bone to the tip of the spur. an adult. Juvenile spurs have soft blunt In a normal fall, points and dull coloration. even without looking at the spur, a hunter has an 80 percent chance of guessing whether a rooster in the bag is young-of-the-year or an adult. In an average year about 80 percent of the pheasant bag is juvenile birds. Early in the season, the ratio of juvenile to adult birds is even higher, up to 90 percent. Later in the season, harvest might include only 70 Th ese sharptail head feathers came from envelopes sent in by hunters. percent juveniles. Female feathers (left) exhibit an alternating buff -black striping Biologists do not use pheasant wings to determine whether pattern. Feathers from a male (right) are all black with a buff - a bird is a juvenile or adult. Both juvenile and adult pheasants colored border. molt all their primary wing feathers each year, so the appear- ance or growth stages of the primaries is not used to separate young and adult birds. However, pheasant hunters do send in wings along with legs. Growth of the primaries is measured to determine age (in weeks) of juvenile birds.

Sharp-tailedS Grouse... On their dancing grounds in spring, it’s relatively easy to tell the diff erence between male and female sharp-tailed grouse. Males are doing the dancing. Females are watching. In fall, diff erentiating male sharptails from females isn’t quite as easy, but if you know what to look for, the diff erences become obvious. Central tail feathers from male and female sharptails. Th e Hunters are asked to pluck some coloration of these feathers is an indicator of sex. Th e four feathers feathers from the top of a sharptail’s head on the left came from females. Note the alternating buff -black horizontal striping. Th e four male tail feathers on the right show more white, and the striping pattern is more vertical and not as consistent as on female feathers. North Dakota Game and Fish Department PLOTS Guide – 2012 When you examine an entire grouse tail, you can also judge Hungarian Partridge... the bird’s sex. On a male, the feathers running either direction Hungarian partridge are the from the center are white and/or light gray. On a female, those smallest and most widespread of our same feathers are often mottled with buff /brown markings. resident upland game birds. While Th e photo below shows these characteristics. If you know not a native, they have adapted to what to look for, it is sometimes possible to judge the sex of a North Dakota’s climate and habitat sharptail as it fl ushes, by whether the tail is brown or white. to populate every county in the state. During hunting season, par- tridge are usually found in cov- eys. Coveys often fl ush en masse, presenting a hunter with a variety of targets. Concentrating on one bird, rather than giving in to the temptation of a fl ock shot, will lead to more partridge in the bag. Once you have a bird in hand, you can tell whether the bird is a male or female by looking at the shoulder area of the wing. Males generally have more rust colored wings than females. Mottled Silvery- feathers: gray Female wings are more brown, and exhibit dark brown cross bars female feathers: and brown mottling on the shoulder patch. Photos in this section male show partridge wings with the distinct markings revealing identi- fi cation of sex. Pulling away feathers that cover a grouse’s tail You can tell whether a partridge is young-of-the-year or reveals another way to tell males from females. Th e adult by checking the molt and/or appearance of the outer feathers on either side of center on the female (left) primary wing feathers. Early in are mottled. Th e same feathers on a male (right) are the season, if the number nine white on the ends and silvery-gray closer to the body. or 10 primaries are still growing, the bird is an adult. If primaries Aging sharptails is similar to aging other grouse species. If eight or seven are growing, then the number nine and 10 primaries are still growing – look for the bird is a juvenile. the bluish quill, you’re likely to see this early in the season – the bird is an adult. If primaries seven and/or eight are growing, the bird is likely a juvenile. Th e feather pattern on the If the quill of all primaries are hard and white, that means shoulder of a Hungarian they’ve stopped growing. If that’s the case, the appearance of partridge wing will tell you the outer two primaries reveals age. If those feathers are pointed whether the bird is a male or and frayed, the bird is young-of-the-year. If those feathers are female. A mottled coloration, rounded and smooth, the bird is an adult. overall, and brown crossbars on Shoulder feathers on a male individual feathers, indicate this Hungarian partridge are Th ese close-ups of the wing came from a female Hun. somewhat rust-colored. Dark outer primaries of two rust crossbars mark some of sharptails attest to the Smooth tips: adult the feathers, and males do not occasional diffi culty of have dark brown stripes or determining whether mottling found on females. a bird is an adult or juvenile. Th e outer two primaries appear similar. Frayed tips: juvenile Both outer primaries on the wing in the photo above have smooth tips, indicating an adult bird. But look closely at the Th is wing is from an number nine (second from adult Hun. Note the right) primary in both relatively smooth tips of photos. the outer two primary wing feathers.

Th is wing is from a young-of-the- More frayed ends indicates juvenile year male Hun. Note the frayed Th e fraying on the end of the ninth edges of the outer two (ninth and primary in the photo above indicates 10th) primary wing feathers. this wing came from a juvenile.

PLOTS Guide – 2012 North Dakota Game and Fish Department Distinct black band indicates male

Later in the season, when most birds have fully grown wing feathers, you have to look at the wear Male: 6” or more on the number nine and 10 primaries. As with many other upland game species, if the outer primaries are rounded and smooth, the bird is an adult. If the prima- ries are more pointed and the ends are frayed, the bird Female: Less is a juvenile. than 6”

Ruff ed Grouse... It is the opinion of many hunters that ruff ed grouse pro- If the central tail feather measures six inches or longer, the bird is vide the fi table fare of any a male. If the feather is noticeably less than six inches, the bird is upland game bird. Yet, they are a female. In the photo above, the top feather measures about seven not widely hunted in North inches, and is from a male. Th e bottom feathers measure about 5-3/4 Dakota because their range is inches, and is from a female. isolated. Ruff ed grouse do have complete. a loyal following, and each Ruff ed grouse are the most diffi cult species to age. Th e year the Pembina Hills, best way to tell juveniles from adults is to look at the outer Mountains and the sandhills wing primaries. If the outer primaries are growing, indicated in McHenry County yield a by the bluish “quill,” the bird is an adult. If the seventh or respectable harvest. eighth primaries are growing, the bird is a juvenile. Ruff ed grouse sport diff erent In addition, if the outer two primaries are rounded color phases, specifi cally the color of and smooth, the bird is an adult. If those feathers are more the band on the tail feathers. Th e color pointed and frayed, the bird is a juvenile. Th e accompanying of the band, whether it’s red or gray, is not a photo shows a good example of the diff erence. reliable indicator of age or sex. Ruff ed grouse live in a more protected environment Th e central two feath- than other upland game birds. Th ey don’t fl y as much, and Central tail feather ers in a ruff ed grouse tail, when they do fl y, they don’t fl y as far. Since ruff ed grouse however, do reveal sex, but don’t use their wings as much as other upland game birds, you have to pull them out their wing tips may not show much wear, making it more to get started. diffi cult to diff erentiate young and adult birds whose primary If you pull the central wing feathers are no longer growing. tail feathers from two ruff ed grouse, and one is about an inch longer than the other, you know you have a male and a female, because males have longer tail feathers. If you have only one ruff ed grouse, or you have two and the tail feathers are the Th e best way to determine same length, you need to mea- the sex of a ruff ed grouse is to sure the feather to determine pull out a central tail feather sex. (marked by arrow) and Generally, the central tail measure it. Juvenile: feather of a male ruff ed grouse frayed ends is six inches or longer. Central tail feathers from a female are Adult: Smooth, round ends shorter than six inches. Th e photo in the next column shows a central tail feather from male and female ruff ed grouse. Th e longer one measures about seven inches, and is from a male. Th e shorter one is less Th is photo of two ruff ed grouse wings is a good example for then six inches, and came from a female. determining age of ruff ed grouse. Th e wing on the left is from Th e appearance of the band on the central tail feather a juvenile, characterized by frayed ends on the outer primary can also indicate sex, but this method is not always reliable. A feather. Th e wing on the right is from an adult, distinguished by distinct black band indicates a male, but males do not always smooth round edges on the outer primary feathers. have a complete band. Th e band on a female is generally not

North Dakota Game and Fish Department PLOTS Guide – 2012