The spruce grouse Falcipennis canadensis
The spruce grouse reaches 38 to 45 cm in length and weighs about 450 to 650 g. The plumage of the males is mostly grey-brown, with black breast and throat feathers and white spotted sides. The tail is of black colour and has chestnut tips. The male has distinctive red eye combs that are erected during displays. The female’s plumage is brown, with the underparts barred black and white.
The species is distributed in Alaska, across much of Canada, and in some parts of New England, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. These birds inhabit coniferous forests dominated by spruce or pine. They live singly or in small family groups. The spruce grouses feed mostly on leaves and conifer buds. In warm periods of the year, flower petals and berries, such as blackberry and crowberry, are also included in the diet. Young birds eat large amounts of insects.
To attract a female, a spruce grouse male displays by spreading his feathers and drumming with wings, making deep thumping sounds. The nest of this species is a small depression in the ground, lined with grass and hidden under the branches of a young spruce tree. The clutch usually contains 8 to 11 cream-coloured eggs with brown spots. The chicks hatch in about three weeks after the egg laying and are completely independent by the age of 10 days.
