What is a Grouse Bird?
Grouse are a group of game birds which are medium-sized with a short crest and live in the northern hemisphere. They belong to the order Galliformes, in the family Phasianidae. They are frequently assigned to the sub family Tetraoninae or tribe Tetraonini - the classification supported by the mitochondrial DNA sequence studies and applied by the American Ornithologists' Union, ITIS. The grouse birds inhabit in the temperate and sub-arctic region of the Northern Hemisphere - from the pine forests to the moorland and the mountain side; from rock ptarmigan in northern Greenland (83°N) to Attwater's prairie chicken in Texas (28°N).
The most famous Old World member is the Lyrurus tetrix i.e, the black grouse; a native of Wales, Scotland, Scandinavia, and north-central Europe. The feathers of the grouse bird resemble their habitat. Their plumage provides them with camouflage which helps them to survive. They are closely related to chickens, turkeys and pheasants and hence, the male grouse is known as the black cock and the female grouse is known as the grey hen.
Grouse - Scientific Classification
A Few Grouse Bird Images Are As Follows:
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Grouse: Types
There are 17 types of grouse. They are:
Ruffed Grouse
Greater Sage Grouse
Western Capercaillie
Black Grouse
Dusky Grouse
Ptarmigans
Sharp Tailed Grouse
Rock Ptarmigan
Hazel Grouse
Sooty Grouse
Greater Prairie Grouse
Lesser Prairie Grouse
Gunnison Grouse
Tetrao
Tetrastes
Chinese Grouse
Rackelhahn
Grouse: Description
Just like the other Galliformes, the grouses are heavily built. Most black cocks or the male grouse grows 30 cm or 12 inches long and weigh around 2 kg. But, the wood grouse from Asia and Europe can grow as big as 100 cm or 39 inches. The biggest North American grouse is Sage grouse which may grow upto 62 - 70 cm long (24 - 28 inches). They are sparkling blue-black with white coloured wing bars and undertail coverts. Their tail curls outward which look like a lyre. The adult grey hen is smaller than the adult males. They are mottled brown and barred with black.
The plump birds i.e the grouse thrive primarily on the ground. They nest in tall grasses and other available ground covers. When alarmed, to get away from the predators, they can glide in the air for a short distance. Their feathers of different colours (red, grey and brown) protect them from the weather and also helps them in disguising themselves in their surroundings. Their feathers grow all over their legs and toes and nostrils to keep them warm and travel over the snow. The grouse bird has thick necks, short hooked beaks and long legs.
A group of chicks or a hen’s nest of eggs is known as clutch. The forest grouse prefer to live alone or with their chicks. The Prairie grouse is more social and keeps meeting each other in their habitat. During fall and winter season, the arctic and tundra dwelling grouse birds form flocks consisting of around 100 birds. Except the willow grouse, which takes only one mate at a time, the other male grouse mate with multiple females.
Grouse: Habitat
The grouse bird lives in Tundra, Grassland, Heathlands, Temperate Forests and Boreal Forests. Some species of the Grouse also live in Asia and Europe. The bird family of grouse is also known as the upland game birds. This is so because they do not dwell in the watery habitats of other wetland game birds such as geese and ducks. Many types of grouse live in most types of habitats in North America. In the United States, the grouse birds inhabit everywhere from the subarctic regions of Alaska to the prairies of Texas.
Depending on where they live, the grouse bird usually either nest in tall grasses or on the floor of the forests. The grouse that live in the snowy regions, dive and burrow under the snow to survive. The body heat of the grouse helps them create a nicely packed shelter that stays warmer than the outside air.
The male grouse or the Black Cock maintains a territory of between 10 - 50 acres. A male grouse does not want another male grouse to be around. The female grouse wanders on about 100 acres of land. They do not mind other grouse being around them.
Mostly, the grouse are non - migratory birds. They live in one habitat around the year. But the snow grouse and the ptarmigan migrates to the North-western states or lower elevations during winter from their warm-season arctic habitat. They are widely hunted for their meat. In Northern America and in Europe, it is a very common practice to hunt groups of farm grouse by giving the birds land to thrive. These habitats are semi-protected which provides space for hunters to track and flush out individual mature birds during a hunt.
Grouse: Diet
The grouse are omnivores. They feed mainly on the vegetation - buds, catkings, twigs and leaves. Their diet varies greatly with the season. Sometimes, they also feed on insects, worms, spiders, snakes, lizards, eggs, snails or small rodents. They prefer to eat grasses, fruits, berries, nuts, shoots, flowers and seeds foraged from the forest floor or other habitat grounds. They also eat winter grapes, wintergreen, apples and clover.
Many forest-living species are also notable for eating conifer needles in large quantities which is refused by most other vertebrates. They get an endless supply of these needles in many forests. The sage grouse eats only the sagebrush in winters and also takes shelter beneath it. In warm months also, sage is a major part of their diet.
Sometimes, they purposefully eat sand and other grit. This helps them to digest some of the rough plants that they eat. To digest the veggies, the grouse birds have big crops and gizzards. They also have large intestines with well-developed caeca in which symbiotic bacteria digest cellulose.
Grouse: Reproduction
Except for one species, the other male grouse mates with multiple females at once. Only the willow grouse mates one female per season. To compete for their mates, the male grouse birds elaborate courtship delays on the ground at dawn and dusk. Some are also given in leks. The displays feature males' brightly coloured combs and brightly coloured inflatable sacs on the sides of their necks. They display their plumage, give vocalizations that vary widely between species, and may engage in other activities, such as drumming or fluttering their wings, rattling their tails, and making display flights. Sometimes, the males also fight to compete for the females.
The female grouse or the grey hen makes their nest in the ground. Their nest is a shallow scrape on the ground, often covered, with a scanty lining of plant material. The females lay one clutch but may also replace it if the eggs are lost. They begin to lay after a week of mating and they lay one egg everyday. Their clutch comprises 5 - 12 eggs. Their eggs resemble the shape of hen’s eggs and are pale yellow in colour with brown spots. Each of these eggs hatches 21 - 28 days later. The chicks hatch in dense, yellow-brown down and they leave the nest immediately after hatching. The mother grouse stands as guard over her brood. She protects her young chicks from predators and other threats. The mother grouse takes her young ones to good places for foraging for food where they find their own food. The male willow grouse helps their mates to protect their babies. But the male of other species do not help the females to take care of their babies.
At the age of two weeks, the chicks grow wings and start flying in small bursts. But, they stay around their mother in their nests until they reach their adult size and weight in the autumn around 12 weeks of age. The grouse are sexually matured by the following spring but they do not mate until later years.
Grouse: Population
The number of grouse living in the world varies widely - from year to year; from season to season. They make up an ample part of the vertebrate biomass in the Arctic and Subarctic regions. But, their population can decrease in thousands because of harsh winters, unfavourable seasons and diseases. Their population is also affected because of hunting. There is a large difference between the numbers of the birds after every hunting season. But, they bounce back as well. If the first eggs are lost, they can nest a second time in the mating season.
In North America, one can find around 15 grouse per mile of land. In America, the most vulnerable species to habitat loss is the Sage Grouse. There are only 8 million Sage Grouse left there today. They (Sage Grouse) are not listed as endangered but are “near threatened” species. The three tundra species have maintained their former numbers. While the prairie and forest species declined due to the habitat loss, the red grouse and the ruffed grouse have benefited from habitat management.
Grouse: Predators and Threats
The grouse bird thrive in harsh winter conditions where the others are not able to survive. Their bodies are plumpy and meaty which makes a great meal for the animals as well as the humans. Their bodies attract many four legged predators such as wolves, foxes, wildcats etc. Snakes eat their eggs and large birds prey on grouse.
Around 8 million grouse are hunted in America alone by humans. The only relief is that the birds are hunted on the land where the farmers hatch grouse which keeps on fulfilling the gap. In the wild, the grouse have large clutches which prevent them from extinction.
Habitat loss and Global warming are other threats to the grouse. The temperature change because of global warming affects the birds badly. Extreme heat, heavy rain and early spring can kill the hatchlings and their entire population. The early spring causes problems with the plant cycle which hampers their food supply.
When humans clean forests, prairies or grasslands for building cities, habitat loss of the grouse happens. Building cities pushes the bird out of their natural habitat to the places where it becomes difficult for them to survive. The other reasons for their habitat loss is farming and forest fire.
Grouse Bird Images and Species
Fun Facts
In the winter season, the grouse birds hide 10 inches below the snow to protect themselves from the harsh weather.
To attract the females, the male birds erect their neck feathers, expand their tails and use their wings to produce drumming sounds.
The females fly around half a mile away to build the nest after mating.
The most hunted species of grouse birds is the Ruffed grouse. The breasts of the ruffed grouse aren’t supplied with blood and hence, are white as turkeys.
The grouse meaning as verb - “to complain” was first used by Rudyard Kipling in the year 1887.
FAQs on Grouse
1.Other Than the Bird, What is Grouse Meaning?
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, there are three grouse meanings. As a noun, the grouse means the game birds. Again as a noun, it means a complaint. As a verb, grouse meaning is to complain or grumble.
2.Write Grouse Synonym?
Grouse synonyms are: complain, groan, moan, objection, protest, bleat, quibble, grievance, whinge etc.
3.Are Grouse Birds the Same As Pheasants?
No, the grouse birds and pheasants may be called the cousin brothers as they belong to the same order and family but their species are different. Though we may find many pheasants in America, they are not usually native to the lands outside Asia. The grouse birds are native to the North American continent and Europe and Asia.
