Lyrurus tetrix
Black Grouse
The Black Grouse exhibits striking sexual dimorphism. Males, known as blackcocks, boast glossy blue-black plumage with white wing bars and undertail coverts. Their most distinctive feature is the lyre-shaped tail, which fans out during displays.
Females, called greyhens, are mottled brown with black barring, providing excellent camouflage. Both sexes have a red wattle above the eye, more prominent in males, especially during the breeding season.
Length
40cm to 55cm
Wingspan
65cm to 80cm
Weight
750g to 1.4kg
Woodland
Garden
Wetland
Coastal
Urban
Farmland
Grassland
Desert
Tundra
Rainforest
Mountain
Savanna
Black Grouse inhabit a range of habitats, including boreal and temperate forests, moorlands, and alpine meadows across Eurasia. They prefer areas with a mix of open ground for lekking and feeding and dense vegetation for cover.
In the UK, they are found primarily in Scotland and northern England, with small populations in Wales. Their range extends eastward through Scandinavia, Russia, and parts of central Europe to eastern Siberia.
Sea level to 2,000 meters
Temperate, Subarctic
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Black Grouse have a varied diet that changes seasonally. In spring and summer, they feed on insects, leaves, and shoots. They switch to berries, seeds, and buds during autumn and winter.
They are particularly fond of birch and pine buds, which form a significant part of their winter diet.
Black Grouse are famous for their 'lekking' behavior, where males gather at traditional sites to perform elaborate courtship displays. These displays involve strutting, wing-flapping, and making distinctive bubbling and cooing sounds.
They are generally shy and secretive outside the breeding season, often feeding in small groups.
The breeding season for Black Grouse begins in early spring, typically March to May. Males gather at traditional lek sites to display and compete for females.
Females construct a shallow scrape on the ground, usually well-hidden in dense vegetation. They lay 6-11 eggs, which are pale yellow with reddish-brown spots.
Incubation lasts about 25 days and is carried out solely by the female. The chicks are precocial and can leave the nest shortly after hatching but remain with the hen for several months.
The Black Grouse typically lives for 3 to 5 years, with a maximum recorded lifespan of 12.2 years.
Like all birds, lifespan can be affected by factors including predation, habitat quality, disease, and access to food sources.
While listed as Least Concern globally, Black Grouse populations have declined in many parts of their range due to habitat loss and fragmentation.
Conservation efforts focus on maintaining and restoring suitable habitats, particularly in the UK, where it is a priority species for conservation action.
Blackcock, Blackgame, Eurasian Black Grouse, Northern Black Grouse
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website, 2015: BirdLife International
View sourcewebsite: BirdLife International. 2016. Lyrurus tetrix. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22679480A85944601.
View sourcewebsite, 2010: Fransson et al., EURING list of longevity records for European birds
View source