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2023 Sage-Grouse Canada Loon Dollar Specimen
Carefully removed from the 2023 Conservation Stories Specimen Set, the Greater Sage-Grouse Loon Specimen Dollar is available for individual sale now!
Each spring, the male greater sage-grouse puts on quite a show: it fans out its plumage, puffs and pops its chest, and struts its stuff in hopes of attracting a mate. This elaborate courtship display has been captured on the 2023 specimen dollar, which highlights the endangered status of a species that now occupies just 7% of its historical range in Canada. With fewer than 250 remaining in the wild, Canada’s greater sage-grouse population has been the focus of collaborative efforts to support the recovery of both the grassland species and its sagebrush habitat. Those efforts include a captive breeding and reintroduction program led by the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo; as of early 2022, 187 conservation-born sage-grouse have been released onto protected lands in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, home to only five known communal mating grounds (leks). Hope for the greater sage-grouse’s recovery grows, as ongoing research and population management strategies are working to slow the population’s decline and
boost its chances of survival.
In 2012, Canada’s greater sage-grouse population was estimated at just 93 to 138 individuals. Habitat loss and degradation due to human activities are key reasons for the decline of this species, which was designated as endangered in Canada in 1998 and is protected under the Species at Risk Act (SARA).
There are only five known leks (traditional dancing/mating grounds) in Canada: two in Saskatchewan and three in Alberta. From March until May, large numbers (up to 70 or more) of sage-grouse congregate on these leks, where the males compete for the best spots to stage their courtship displays for visiting females.
The male’s efforts to attract a mate involve a series of struts, coos, wing swooshes, raised feathers, and the inflation of two yellow air sacs on its chest. When deflated, those sacs make a loud “pop”—like the uncorking of a champagne bottle—and the sound can be heard up to 3 kilometres away!
Sagebrush is critical to the survival of the greater sage-grouse, which was named for the silver-tinged shrub. About 60% of an adult’s summer diet and 100% of its winter diet consists of sage leaves, stems and buds. The aromatic shrub also serves as a nesting site and provides cover from predators.
Designed by Canadian artist David Caesar, the set-exclusive specimen dollar features a depiction of a male greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) performing its elaborate courtship display in its sagebrush (genus Artemisia) habitat. The obverse features the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt. The obverse also bears a special marking that includes four pearls symbolizing the four effigies that have graced Canadian coins and the double date of her reign.
Specifications:
Composition: Brass-plated Steel
Weight: 6.27 g
Diameter: 26.50 mm, 11-sided
Finish: Specimen
Edge: Plain
Artist: David Caesar (reverse dollar), Susanna Blunt (obverse)
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