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Commentary: No country for the old sage grouse

The mating dance of the sage grouse is like a ballet with percussion and wind. If you were to view it in slow motion, here's what you'd see:

Costumed in a white fur-like ruff, the male grouse makes a whooshing sound by rubbing his wings against the ruff's feathers. His sharply pointed tail feathers fan out like a shield, and dangling filoplumes sprout from his head like a crown - but it is the flashing yellow air sacs on his chest that dominate the spectacle, protruding as he jerks his head upward. He bounces, deflating the sacs with a series of loud popping noises.