Black Grouse
Lyrurus tetrix
Male distinctive, with long, lyre-shaped tail and white undertail coverts; shows white wing stripe in flight. Female warm brown with heavy dark barring; compare to smaller and rustier Willow Ptarmigan (known in Great Britain and Ireland as “Red Grouse”), which shows a solidly dark tail in flight. In early spring, males gather around dawn to display, fanning their deeply forked tails and fluffing their white undertail coverts while giving a low churring call. Habitat varies throughout range, but generally favors more open forests and forest margins, as well as upland steppes, heathlands, and moors. In southern parts of range, such as the Alps, favors denser forests with conifer stands.
Taxonomy
The black grouse was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Tetrao tetrix. Both Tetrao and tetrix come from Ancient Greek words referring to some form of game bird. The black grouse is now placed in the genus Lyrurus that was introduced in 1832 by the English naturalist William John Swainson.<p>The male and female are sometimes referred to by their folk names, blackcock and greyhen, respectively. These names first occur in the literature with John Ray in 1674. Heathcock and Heathhen are also common names.<p>The black grouse has six recognized subspecies. Black grouse populations differ slightly in size and coloration, with birds increasing in size further east of their range:
- Scientific name
- Lyrurus tetrix
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Genus
- Lyrurus
Range and habitat
Black grouse can be found on open habitats across Europe (Swiss-Italian-French Alps especially) from Great Britain through Scandinavia, Estonia and across Russia. Although believed to once to live in Ireland, it now no longer resides there. In Eastern Europe they can be found in Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Romania and Ukraine. There is a population in the Alps, and isolated remnants in Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. It formerly occurred in Denmark, but the Danish Ornithological Society (DOF) has considered it extinct since 2001. The species disappeared from Bulgaria in the 19th century. In Asia, a huge portion of their population can be found in Russia (particularly southern Siberia), though they also inhabit parts of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and possibly Korea.<p>Black grouse are adapted to an extensive array of habitats across Eurasia, though most frequently utilize the transitionary zones between forests and open clearings, especially steppe, heathland, grassland and pasture when near agricultural fields. Depending on the season, they will overwinter in large flocks in dense forests, and feed primarily on the leaves and buds of coniferous and broadleaf trees, such as Scots pine, Siberian larch, silver birch, and Eurasian aspen. Throughout the spring and summer, they tend to favor open spaces to seek potential mates and raise broods, switching their diet to berries, shoots and stems of cranberries, bog bilberries, myrtleberries, and other Vaccinium shrubs. They avoid the most extreme of desert and polar regions.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
Although this species has declined throughout most of its range in western Europe, it is not considered to be vulnerable globally due to the large population (global estimate is 15–40 million individuals) and slow rate of decline. Its decline is due to loss of habitat, disturbance, predation by foxes, crows, etc., and small populations gradually dying out.[citation needed]<p>The IUCN implemented a Black Grouse Action Plan 2007–2010. This has looked at local populations that are vulnerable to the extinction vortex. For example, in Styria, Austria.[citation needed]<p>In the United Kingdom black grouse are found in upland areas of Wales, the Pennines and most of Scotland. Best looked for on farmland and moorland with nearby forestry or scattered trees. They have traditional lek sites where the males display.[citation needed]<p>They have declined in some parts of the UK (especially England), having disappeared from many of their former haunts. They are now extirpated in Lancashire, Derbyshire, Exmoor, East Yorkshire, New Forest, Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire, Quantock Hills, Cornwall, Dartmoor, Kent, Wiltshire and Surrey.[citation needed]<p>A programme to re-introduce black grouse into the wild started in 2003 in the Upper Derwent Valley area of the Peak District in England. 30 grouse were released in October 2003, followed by 10 male grouse in December 2004 and a further 10 males and 10 females in April 2005. The programme is being run jointly by the National Trust, Severn Trent Water and Peak District National Park.[citation needed]<p>Conservation groups helping to revive the black grouse include the RSPB and the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust.[citation needed]<p>In France there has been much work regarding the birds and their risk of flying into ski-lifts.<p>From 1950 to 2000, local black grouse populations have steadily diminished in Manchuria and northeastern China by about 39%, with birds being most affected (and possibly extirpated) in the Jilin Province. Though the exact causes for local declines remain largely unclear, habitat loss and excess hunting have played a part in the overall reduction. Shifts in their location, however can happen concurrently with the depletion over decades, so short-term research projects may not provide much proof of driving forces behind population alterations.<p>Based on historical info gathered from various sources (including wildlife surveys and scientific papers), aspen, birch, and poplar make up the black grouse's staple diet and habitat. The climate and precipitation during the month of June is also linked to the breeding success of black grouse.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Przevalski's Nuthatch
Sitta przewalskii
Adorable inhabitant of subalpine coniferous and mixed forests. Plain white face, extended black cap, and orange underparts are distinctive within its range. Mainly forages along trunks but can often be seen perched out on an exposed branch or treetop. Usually found in pairs or small groups. Follows other species in mixed species feeding flocks. Gives long extended bleats and single crisp notes.
Plumbeous Black-Tyrant
Knipolegus cabanisi
Medium-sized flycatcher of Andean slopes; rare in southern Peru, more common in Bolivia and northern Argentina. Male is separated from White-winged Black-Tyrant by grayer, less glossy plumage and from Cinereous Tyrant by darker belly. Female is told from those species by her dark (not pale) throat. Inhabits humid forest, often near rivers and streams. Perches on a bare branch or snag and sallies out after insects.
Canebrake Groundcreeper
Clibanornis dendrocolaptoides
Large, long-tailed ovenbird, rusty above and grayish below. Note the buff eyebrow and black spots at the sides of the throat. Found in montane forest and old second growth; often associated with bamboo or dense understory, usually near streams. Behavior poorly known, but forages in pairs both arboreally and terrestrially. Song is a loud series of staccato notes.
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