A medium-sized chicken-like upland gamebird with a black-banded fan-shaped tail. Males "drum" by rapidly beating wings on logs in spring — the sound carries across forest like distant tractor engines.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The ruffed grouse is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is the most widely distributed game bird in North America. It is not migratory. It is the only species in the genus Bonasa. The ruffed grouse is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a "partridge", an unrelated phasianid, and occasionally confused with the grey partridge, a bird of open areas rather than woodlands.
Source: Wikipedia — Ruffed grouse Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Medium-sized chicken-like upland bird with crested head, fan-shaped tail with terminal black band.
Similar species. Spruce Grouse (smaller, no crest, blacker). Blue Grouse (no banded tail).
Voice. Hooting drum from males. Whining and chittering.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Buds (winter), berries, insects, leaves.
Behavior. Males "drum" by rapidly beating wings on log perches in spring — sound carries 1+ mile through forest.
§ Range
Across northern and mountainous forests of North America
§ Habitat
Young deciduous and mixed forests with abundant shrub layer
§ Threats
Forest maturation reducing young-forest habitat, West Nile virus outbreaks.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the ruffed grouse is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support young-forest management on public lands. Allow brushy regrowth on forest edges. Donate to Ruffed Grouse Society.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Ruffed grouse
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Bonasa umbellus
- IUCN Red List · taxon 22679525
- iNaturalist · taxon 898
- eBird · rufgro
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Bonasa umbellus
§ Sources cited
- Ruffed Grouse Society
- Cornell Lab — All About Birds
- USDA Forest Service
- IUCN Red List 2016
