Sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus), Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, 2016.

Also simply called sharptail, or fire bird by Native American Indians, they belong to a genus of grouse found only in North America. As a lekking species (i.e., species in which males engage in competitive mating displays) they rely on brush fires to keep their habitat open. This allows grouse to forage as well as perform their mating displays. A group of males gathered to engage in this competition is called a lek. In these open areas the males engage in lekking to entice visiting females before and during breeding season.