- Bonasa umbellus
Identification
43–48 cm (17-19 in); largish grouse with short crest and fan-shaped tail (with sub-terminal band)
- Greyish-brown head, neck and back
- Light breast has barring
- Ruffs are on the sides of the neck
Both sexes are similarly marked and sized
Distribution
Canada and northern United States.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Fourteen subspecies are recognized:[1]
- B. u. yukonensis: Western Alaska and Yukon to southern Mackenzie and north-western Saskatchewan
- B. u. umbelloides: South-eastern Alaska to British Columbia and east to Quebec
- B. u. labradorensis: Labrador
- B. u. sabini: Coastal south-western British Columbia to north-western California
- B. u. brunnescens: Vancouver Island and adjacent mainland
- B. u. castanea: Olympic Peninsula (north-western Washington)
- B. u. affinis: Inland British Columbia to Washington and central Oregon
- B. u. phaios: South-eastern British Columbia and eastern Washington to Rocky Mountains of southern Idaho
- B. u. incana: South-eastern Idaho, Wyoming, North Dakota to Colorado and western South Dakota
- B. u. mediana: Minnesota and southern Wisconsin
- B. u. togata: Southern Ontario and southern Quebec to northern Wisconsin, central Michigan and central New York
- B. u. thayeri: Nova Scotia
- B. u. umbellus: New York and Massachusetts to eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey
- B. u. monticola: Southern Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania to northern Georgia
Habitat
They can be found in a wide variety of woodland habitats.
Behaviour
Breeding
Ground nesters, the clutch typically consisting of 6–8 eggs. The nests are occasionally parasitized by Ring-necked Pheasants or Wild Turkeys that lay eggs in the nests.
Diet
Their diet consists of buds, leaves, berries, seeds, and insects.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2016)
- New World Encyclopaedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Ruffed Grouse. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Ruffed_Grouse
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
