Black Grouse

Overview

The black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix), also known as the northern black grouse or blackcock, is a large bird in the grouse tribe. It is a sedentary species spanning the Palearctic, typically inhabiting moorland and steppe during breeding seasons near wooded areas.

Identification

• Males are predominantly black with deep-blue hues on the neck and back, contrasting with white winglines and undertail coverts, and red bare skin above the eyes.
• Females are greyish-brown and cryptically coloured to blend with dense undergrowth.
• Both sexes possess long outer rectrices that curl outward to resemble the frame of a Greek lyre.
• Males produce a long, bubbling coo or murmur during courtship, while females have a cackling or warbling call.

Habitat

This species occupies open habitats across Europe and Asia, favouring transitionary zones between forests and open clearings such as steppe, heathland, and pasture. In winter, they gather in large flocks within dense forests to feed on conifer and broadleaf trees.

Diet

During spring and summer, they favour open spaces to feed on berries, shoots, and stems of cranberries, bog bilberries, myrtleberries, and other Vaccinium shrubs. In winter, they feed almost exclusively on the needles, leaves, and buds of coniferous and broadleaf trees such as Scots pine, Siberian larch, silver birch, and Eurasian aspen.

Did you know?

The tails of black-cocks have been used as adornments for hats worn with Highland dress since the late Victorian era, and this tradition continues in the full-dress headgear of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.