A medium grouse of boreal coniferous forests. Famously tame — sometimes approached within arm's reach by humans.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The spruce grouse, also known as Canada grouse, spruce hen or fool hen, is a medium-sized grouse closely associated with the coniferous boreal forests or taiga of North America. It is the only member of the genus Canachites.
Source: Wikipedia — Spruce grouse Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Dark, chunky grouse; male blackish with a red eye comb and a chestnut-tipped tail; female barred rufous or gray. Often allows close approach.
Similar species. Ruffed Grouse has a crest and a banded fan tail; the Spruce Grouse is darker, tamer, and tied to conifers.
Voice. Mostly silent; males make low hoots and wing claps in display.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Seeds, buds, fruits, insects.
Behavior. A tame grouse of northern spruce-fir forest, so unwary it is nicknamed 'fool hen'; in winter it lives almost entirely on conifer needles, growing a longer gut to digest them.
§ Range
Boreal Canada and Alaska
§ Habitat
Coniferous boreal forests
§ Threats
Climate-driven boreal habitat shifts.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the spruce grouse is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support boreal forest conservation.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Spruce grouse
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Falcipennis canadensis
- IUCN Red List — search for Falcipennis canadensis
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Falcipennis canadensis
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
