Siberian Grouse
Falcipennis falcipennis
Chunky medium-sized gamebird of far eastern Russia. Both sexes are dark brown with white-spotted underparts. Male is heftier and thicker-necked, with a black throat bordered by white. Also note bright red patch of skin above each eye. Female is patchy brown with a more peaked head. Inhabits well-shaded coniferous and mixed forests, where it forages on the ground and in trees. Male gives odd clicks and claps during display.
Identification
Adults measure around 38–43 centimetres (15–17 in). Males weigh at 580–735 grams (1.279–1.620 lb), while females weigh 650–740 grams (1.43–1.63 lb). Both sexes are intricately speckled white on the belly, flanks, and undertail coverts with white streaks on the wing coverts and rump, plus a white terminal band at the tail tip. Males have sooty brownish-grey feathers with a ruff around its neck and a black bib outlined in white with red skin above each eye. Females are more pale brown in color and lack the distinct facial markings of the male.
Taxonomy
Genus: Falcipennis; Family: Phasianidae; Order: Galliformes.
- Scientific name
- Falcipennis falcipennis
- Authority
- (Hartlaub, 1855)
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Genus
- Falcipennis
Range and habitat
The Siberian grouse is distributed across eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East in the federal districts of Primorsky Krai, Khabarovsk Krai, Amur Oblast, and Sakhalin. A small population formerly inhabited the far northeast of China, where they are probably now extinct. They prefer moist, shady coniferous forests (especially in the winter) with a dense understory of moss and berry bushes, including stands of Ezo spruce, Korean pine, Khingan fir, and Dahurian larch, as well as mixed forest communities interspersed with open glades. Grouse may switch to cranberry and other berries and leaves of Vaccinium, Empetrum, Rubus and other shrubs in their diet during the summer and fall months. They gather in small flocks numbering up to 10–11 birds in the autumn, especially when made up of females and subadult males. In winter, they roost in snow burrows, though they also sleep high in trees during milder weather.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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