Overview
The cock is very distinctive, with black plumage, apart from red wattles and a white wingbar, and a lyre-shaped tail, which appears forked in flight. His song is loud, bubbling and somewhat dove-like.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Bird
- Family
- Phasianidae
- Genus
- Lyrurus
- Species
- tetrix
Habitat
It is a sedentary species, breeding across northern Eurasia in moorland and bog areas near to woodland, mostly boreal.
Diet
Shoots, seeds, berries, and pine cones seeds.
Behavior
Black grouse have a very distinctive and well-recorded courtship ritual or game. At dawn in the spring, the males strut around in a traditional area and display whilst making a highly distinctive mating call. This process is called a lek—the grouse are said to be lekking. In western Europe these gatherings seldom involve more than 40 birds; in Russia 150 is not uncommon and 200 have been recorded.
Hunting
Typically hunted with a .222 Remington rifle or 20 ga shot gun. Can be hunted from skis in the winter.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern by IUCN.