Grouse
Backyard Habitat: Attracting Wildlife to Your Garden ... Bird Feeding Stations ... Nesting Habits of Wild Birds and Build-Your-Own Nesting Boxes ... Wild Bird Houses / Nests (Fancy & Practical) .... Water Fountains ... Bird Baths ...... Books, Videos, CDs & DVDs
Grouse inhabit temperate and subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere. They are game and are sometimes hunted for food.
Males are often polygamous, and many species have elaborate courtship displays. These heavily built birds have legs feathered to the toes. Most species are year-round residents, and do not migrate.
These birds feed mainly on vegetable food, but will also feed on insects, especially when feeding young.
Species
Genus Falcipennis
- Siberian Grouse, Falcipennis falcipennis : The Siberian Grouse, Falcipennis falcipennis, is a medium sized grouse. They are very similar to the North American Spruce Grouse, to which they are closely related. The Siberian grouse mostly occurs in forests of spruce, fir, larch and pine. Their range is far eastern Russia, and a small population formerly inhabited the far north east of China, where they are probably now extinct.
- Spruce Grouse, Falcipennis canadensis
Genus Dendragapus (Blue Grouse; now split into two species)
- Dusky Grouse, Dendragapus obscurus
- Sooty Grouse, Dendragapus fuliginosus
Genus Lagopus
- Willow Grouse (Willow Ptarmigan in North America), Lagopus lagopus
- Ptarmigan (Rock Ptarmigan in North America), Lagopus mutus
- White-tailed Ptarmigan, Lagopus leucurus
Genus Tetrao
- Eurasian Black Grouse, Tetrao tetrix
- Caucasian Black Grouse, Tetrao mlokosiewiczi
- Capercaillie, Tetrao urogallus
- Black-billed Capercaillie, Tetrao parvirostris
Genus Bonasa
- Hazel Grouse, Bonasa bonasia
- Severtzov's Grouse, Bonasa sewerzowi : Severtzov's Grouse, also known as Chinese Grouse or Black-breasted Hazel Grouse, is a grouse species closely related to the Hazel Grouse. It is a sedentary bird which inhabits conifer-rich mixed montane forests of central China. The bird is very similar in appearance to the Hazel Grouse apart from less of a white stripe on the head and neck. The bird is named after a Russian explorer and naturalist Nikolai Alekseevich Severtzov.
- Ruffed Grouse, Bonasa umbellus
Genus Centrocercus
- Greater Sage-Grouse, Centrocercus urophasianus
- Gunnison Sage-Grouse, Centrocercus minimus
Genus Tympanuchus
- Sharp-tailed Grouse, Tympanuchus phasianellus
- Greater Prairie-Chicken, Tympanuchus cupido
- Heath Hen, T. c. cupido (extinct, 1932) - possibly a distinct species
- Lesser Prairie-Chicken Tympanuchus pallidicinctus
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia.org
If you would like to add to or correct any of the above information, or would like to share with the AvianWeb visitors your own experiences, please e-mail the AvianWeb Webmaster.
Photo contributions and articles are welcome!
