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Spruce Grouse

Falcipennis canadensisOrder: GALLIFORMES Family: Turkeys and Grouse (Phasianidae)
Codes: Common Name: SPGR Scientific Name: FALCAN ITIS Taxonomic No.: 553896
Spruce Grouse Head Illustration

Head

Topo Map: Perching-like Head
  • Bill Shape: Curved (up or down)
  • Eye Color: Yellow-brown or amber.
  • Head Pattern: Striped
  • Crown Color: Black with red combs of bare skin above eyes.
  • Forehead Color: Black
  • Nape Color: Black
  • Throat Color: Black
  • Cere color: No Data
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Spruce Grouse Body Illustration

Body

Topo Map: Perching-like Body
  • Length Range: 38-43 cm (15-17 in)
  • Weight: 499 g (17.6 oz)
  • Size: Size 3. Medium (9 - 16 in)
  • Color: Red, White, Brown, Black
  • Underparts: Black and white barring.
  • Upperparts: Mottled black and gray.
  • Back Pattern: Barred or banded
  • Belly Pattern: Spotted or speckled
  • Breast Pattern: Spotted or speckled
Spruce Grouse Flight Illustration

Flight

Topo Map: Perching-like Flight
  • Flight Pattern: Alternates between rapid, strong flapping flight and gliding, short flights
  • Wingspan Range: 56 cm (22 in)
  • Wing Shape: Rounded-Wings
  • Tail Shape: Fan-shaped Tail
  • Tail Pattern: Solid black with white edging on uppertail coverts (Franklin's) or orange tips (Taiga)
  • Upper Tail: Black with red-brown terminal band.
  • Under Tail: Black with red-brown terminal band.
  • Leg Color: Brown feathered legs and gray feet.
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Family Grouse (Phasianidae)_blue
Species Falcipennis canadensis
Length15 - 17 Inches
Wingspan22 Inches

Spruce Grouse

Spruce Grouse: Medium grouse with barred, dark gray-brown upperparts, black underparts show white bars on breast, white chevrons on sides, belly. Throat is white-bordered black; red eye combs. Tail is either black with fine white spots near base (Franklin's) or black with rufous-brown tip (Tiaga).

● Song: "whuh whuh whuh whuh", "cow cow cacacaca", "sreep", "heep"

● Foraging & Feeding: Spruce Grouse: Majority of diet made up of conifer needles, particularly pine needles. Also feeds on a variety of herbaceous plants, leaves, and flowers. Occasionally takes insects.

● Breeding & nesting: Spruce Grouse: Monogamous. Nest is a scrape or depression on the ground often at the base of a conifer. Female lays five to ten brown marked, buff to pink or light brown eggs and incubates for 21 to 24 days. Precocial young leave the nest as soon as they are dry, return to female to brood frequently at at night. Young stay with female for 10 to 15 weeks.

● Similar species: Spruce Grouse: Ruffed Grouse is larger, has a small crest, dark subterminal tail band, and dark patch on side of neck. Male lacks red eye comb. Dusky and Sooty Grouse are dusky and sooty in color, males have yellow or orange comb above eyes. Sooty Grouse has wide, gray tipped terminal band on tail.

Flight Pattern

Alternates between rapid, strong flapping flight and gliding, short flights
Spruce Grouse Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Spruce Grouse: Found in coniferous forests of extreme northern U.S., throughout boreal forests of Canada, and Alaska. Prefers dense pine forests of early to mid successional stages. Also found in spruce forests.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationDeclining in the South
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight17.6 Ounces
Perching-like HeadX
Perching-like BodyX
Perching-like FlightX
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX