DISTINGUISH ING FEATTT2ES OF SHARPTAILED GROUSE 
AND PRAITRIE CHICKENS, WIT1. NOTCSON  EX AND AGE CHAR.ICTERS 
Because of essentially similar habits, manner of flight, .7,rd general 
habitat, the two species of prairLe grouse -- the Prairie Chicken and harptailed

Grouse -- are sometimes confusing to thne average sportsman. 1,41any a:r
aware, of 
course, that there are two species, but bel.i eve it too .1."fficuli
' alo a . to tell, 
then..ni apart in the field. Others coil t,-m ali prairie chickens, .pparently
not 
noting the difference even after they hove bagged -hem. 
Since prairie chickens end sharptails are both fomd over much of north!ern

Michigan, inquiries concerning these two soecies have often been rmade, particularly

in areas where the sharptails nave appeared only in the last year or two.

This leaflet has been prepared with the object of ainswering such questions

concerning these birds. Only those features !hat most readily separ.ate the
two 
birds in the: field, and in the hond, are described here. Additionah notes
on differ- 
entiating the sexes and ages of the birds iero thought to be of interest,
since 
tilere have also been inquiries on those subjects. 
It is taken for granted that verf rem, if any, bird hn ,ens fa.il to dis-

tinguish the thicke-t nd voods -loving rmffed grouse (prt-idne) from either
of the 
two predominantly op or-colintry birds herc discued. 
I. Aids to field identification. 
When the birds are ilushed ,nd fly directljv aa, from the observer, 's is

most often the ease, the &nafteil siows white on the outer sides o"
cie tail (like 
a meadowlarK), while the prairie chicken? s tail is dark (except for a thin
,hite 
f-ringe at the tip, usually not visible in f jight)  (Compa r. Fig7ures I
and 2) This 
is the most useful chracter in differentiat-in   hese two birds in flight,
belt it 
cannot be seen at long 2nangc or -jhen visibility is poor. 
At very close range or wihen the birds fly overhead one can o.ften see in

silhouette the aistinctly pointed tail of the shartil (Fig. I), altogeth):
er