Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming has turned to an unusual conservation strategy to save one of its fastest-declining bird populations: robot birds. Park officials and wildlife experts have deployed lifelike robotic greater sage-grouse that mimic the species' elaborate courtship dances, puff out their chests and broadcast recorded mating calls in an effort to attract real birds to restored breeding grounds. The initiative aims to lure sage-grouse away from the nearby Jackson Hole Airport, where decades of habitat degradation and aircraft activity have contributed to a dramatic decline in their numbers. By recreating the sights and sounds of an active breeding site, conservationists hope the innovative decoys will encourage mating and gradually rebuild the park's critically declining local population.
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