Scientists and park managers in the United States are turning to robotic decoys to help restore fragile ecosystems, with a project at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming aiming to revive the declining sage grouse population. The robots, designed to mimic the birds' courtship behaviour, are part of a broader effort to encourage wildlife to return to restored habitats.
The decoys, built by local high school students under the guidance of robotics mentor Gary Duquette, include realistic features such as feathers from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and improvised materials like a white blanket from TJ Maxx and foam from a HelloFresh meal kit. Duquette described the creations as 'kind of a Frankenbird'. The robots are programmed to perform dance-like movements and synchronise with recorded mating calls to simulate an active breeding ground.
Park spokesperson Emily Davis told SFGate that the aim is to 'jumpstart that activity' so real sage grouse begin displaying and nesting in the restored area. Sage grouse numbers have fallen by about 80 percent across the West since 1965, according to WyoFile. At one Jackson Hole breeding site, male counts dropped from 73 in 1950 to just three last year.
The decline is attributed to habitat loss and human activity, including decades of cattle grazing that degraded sagebrush flats. Although grazing has been eliminated and restoration work is ongoing, challenges remain, including risks from the nearby Jackson Hole Airport, the only airport located inside a national park. Between 1990 and 2013, 32 birds were killed in aircraft-related incidents.
To mitigate these risks, park officials and airport staff have restored roughly 100 acres of former pasture south of the runways, replanting native vegetation. Davis noted that 'even when you create great habitat, wildlife doesn’t always show up right away'. During this year's breeding season, trail cameras are monitoring whether real grouse respond to the robotic displays. If successful, similar systems could be deployed in other national parks.
