Ruffed Grouse

Bonasa umbellusOrder: GALLIFORMES Family: Turkeys and Grouse (Phasianidae)

Codes: Common Name: RUGR Scientific Name: BONUMB ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175790

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Ruffed Grouse: Medium-sized grouse with crested head and scaled brown upperparts. White underparts have pale brown bars on breast and dark brown bars on belly and flanks. Sides of neck have black ruff. The tail is brown with fine, white bars and white-edged dark band at tip. Northern form is grayer.

Range and Habitat

Ruffed Grouse: Resident from the tree line in Alaska and northern Canada south to California, Wyoming, Minnesota, Missouri, and the Carolinas; also found in the Appalachians to Georgia. Preferred habitat includes overgrown pastures and deciduous and mixed forests, especially those with scattered clearings and dense undergrowth.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"quit-quit"

Interesting Facts

Male Ruffed Grouse cup their wings and rapidly beat them against the air. Native people called it the “carpenter bird” because they thought the sound was made by beating its wings against a log.

Their population numbers cycle every 8-11 years with respect to population numbers of their predators—the fox, Northern Goshawk and Great Horned Owl.

This state bird of Pennsylvania is well-adapted for winter with lateral extensions of the scales on their toes almost like snowshoes.

A group of grouse has many collective nouns, including a "chorus", "covey", "drumming", "grumbling", and "leash" of grouse.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Ruffed Grouse

● Song: "quit-quit"

● Foraging & Feeding: Ruffed Grouse: Feeds on forbs, fruits, and insects; eats mostly buds and catkins of aspens, birches, cherries, ironwood, and filberts when snow covers the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Ruffed Grouse: Eight to fourteen buff eggs, sometimes with brown spots, are laid in a shallow depression lined with leaves and concealed under a bush. Incubation period ranges from 21 to 28 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Ruffed Grouse: Sharp-tailed Grouse has more white and buff and a long, pointed tail with white outer feathers. Spruce and Blue grouse are darker and lack black subterminal tail bands.

Flight Pattern

Strong rapid flight with several quick wing strokes.

● Range & Habitat: Ruffed Grouse: Resident from the tree line in Alaska and northern Canada south to California, Wyoming, Minnesota, Missouri, and the Carolinas; also found in the Appalachians to Georgia. Preferred habitat includes overgrown pastures and deciduous and mixed forests, especially those with scattered clearings and dense undergrowth.

^BreedingSolitary nester, Promiscuous

^Population

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight22.4 Ounces

Perching-like Body

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Ruff

A fringe of feather growth on the neck of a male bird used in courtship displays.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

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.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Ruffed Grouse

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Range and Habitat

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Listen to Call

Voice Text

Interesting Facts

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Related Birds

Ruffed Grouse

Flight Pattern