Male sage grouse perform a courtship display called a strut.
During a strut, a male moves across an open breeding ground known as a lek while fanning his tail, inflating air sacs and producing distinctive popping and swooshing sounds. The visual and acoustic elements work together to attract females and signal the male’s condition to rivals.
Sage grouse courtship is unusually elaborate among North American birds. Males gather at traditional leks, sometimes returning to the same display sites for many years. Females visit, inspect the performers and choose mates, usually favoring only a small proportion of the males present.
“Strut” can describe the whole display, while “lek” identifies the communal arena where courtship occurs. The sound is not made by rubbing wings together like a cricket. Instead, males manipulate air sacs and feathers to create their characteristic mechanical calls.