Sooty Grouse
Dendragapus fuliginosus
Large, dark chickenlike bird found in wooded habitats, usually with conifers and shrubby undergrowth. Typically seen on the ground; easiest to detect in midsummer when females and chicks frequent roadsides and trails. When male displays, ruffles neck feathers to reveal wrinkled yellow skin and makes deep hooting noise, slightly higher pitched than Dusky. Female browner and more intricately patterned. Note large size and relatively long tail. Feeds on plant matter, especially conifer needles. Separate from Dusky Grouse by range.
Identification
Adults have a long square tail, light gray at the end. Adult males are mainly dark with a yellow throat air sac surrounded by white, and a yellow wattle over the eye during display. Adult females are mottled brown with dark brown and white marks on the underparts. Females have longer skinnier necks than males. The males have stouter bodies than the females.
Taxonomy
The sooty grouse has four recognized subspecies:
- Scientific name
- Dendragapus fuliginosus
- Authority
- (Ridgway, 1873)
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Genus
- Dendragapus
Range and habitat
Their breeding habitat is the edges of conifer and mixed forests in mountainous regions of western North America, from southeastern Alaska and Yukon south to California. Their range is closely associated with that of various conifers. They thrive in old forests because they need diverse plants and trees. Regenerated logged or burned areas also attract the sooty grouse as long as there are plenty of bushes and shrubs to nest in. The nest is a scrape on the ground concealed under a shrub or log. Grouse mountain, a mountain that acts as the peak of Vancouver, Canada gets its name from the infamous blue grouse that lives on the mountain. The first hikers that reached the top of the mountain hunted the birds so they honored them by naming the mountain after them. This name is also attributed to the large population of the sooty grouse found on the mountain.
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Conservation
Sooty grouse are experiencing some population decline from habitat loss at the southern end of their range in southern California. The status of the Sooty Grouse is now classified as at risk. Currently, the species is of low conservation concern, but if a decline in old-growth forests persists the risk of endangerment will increase.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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