Red grouse
The red grouse, also known as moorfowl, is a ground-dwelling gamebird native to the British Isles, particularly inhabiting bogs, heaths, and moors at higher elevations. This chicken-sized bird, a subspecies of the willow ptarmigan, measures 14 to 17 inches in length and has a wingspan of 23.5 to 25.5 inches. Males exhibit dark reddish-brown plumage, while females sport lighter ginger-brown feathers, both designed for effective camouflage against predators. Red grouse thrive on a diet primarily consisting of heather shoots, along with flowering plants, grass seeds, insects, and berries throughout the seasons.
These birds are non-migratory, spending most of their eight-year lifespan close to their hatching location, although some may seek lower elevations during harsh winters. Nesting takes place in a shallow hollow lined with vegetation, where the female lays six to nine eggs. Both parents care for the chicks, which are capable of flight after about two weeks. The population of red grouse faces challenges due to factors like disease and habitat transformation, making effective management and conservation efforts crucial for their survival. The red grouse also plays a role in game hunting, with practices like controlled burning of their habitat to encourage new growth and nesting opportunities.
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Red grouse
Red grouse, also called moorfowl, are popular gamebirds. People sometimes burn their habitat to encourage new plant growth for the grouse to eat and provide new places to nest. These ground-dwelling birds are known for their distinctive cackling and crowing calls.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Lagopus
Species: Lagopus
Subspecies: Scotica
Red grouse are a chicken-sized subspecies of the Willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus). Their bodies are 14 to 17 inches (35 to 45 centimeters) long and weigh 15 to 28 1/2 ounces (430 to 810 grams). Although they are mainly ground-dwelling birds, they have 23 1/2- to 25 1/2-inch (60- to 65-centimeter) wingspans which lift them into flight. Males have dark, reddish-brown plumage with flecks of black. Females have lighter, ginger-brown plumage. Their plumage provides good camouflage from predators like birds of prey and hunters. The undersides of the wings of males and females are white. A bright red "eyebrow" of tiny feathers lays across the top of each eye. Small, short bills extend from their small heads. Feathers cover their legs, feet, and toes, and small feathers cover their nostrils. These feathers help them survive winter weather by keeping these parts of their bodies warm.
Red grouse live in the British Isles and inhabit the bogs, heaths, and moors at higher elevations. Most live at elevations of 1,000 to 2,000 feet (300 to 600 meters), but a few exist at 3,000 feet (900 meters), and others inhabit the rough grasslands and peat bogs. Still, others range down to sea level. At all elevations, they live in flocks in these habitats throughout the year, except when they are mating and forming pairs. Most red grouse spend their eight-year life spans within a few miles of where they hatch. They do not migrate, except that some younger birds may move to lower elevations and farmland in the most severe winters. Survival in winter is made easier by the warm feathers that cover their nostrils, legs, and toes.
Red grouse eat mainly heather shoots. Heather is a plant with small flowers that grows in abundance across the habitats of the red grouse. They also eat flowering plants and grass seeds when available in the spring. In the summer, they also eat insects, and berries are popular in autumn. Gamekeepers help control the food supply of the red grouse. The gamekeepers manage the grouse population in certain areas so plenty of birds are available for hunting season from August to December. The gamekeepers sometimes burn the heather in an area to control its wild and rapid growth. This burning provides the grouse with woody stems under which to nest and also with food to eat when fresh shoots grow after the burning.
In the spring, a male flies along the boundaries of his territory and calls loudly to claim his territory and attract a female. The calls of red grouse include crowing, cackling, croaking, and barking. After mating, the female scrapes out a shallow hollow in the ground for a nest around 8 inches (20 centimeters) across. The nest is usually under the shelter of thick vegetation. She lines it with grass, moss, and heather and lays six to nine eggs in the nest. This may take up to two days, but she waits to incubate the eggs until all the eggs are in the nest. After 19 to 25 days of incubation, the young hatch from their yellow, brown-speckled eggs and begin finding insects within one hour of hatching. The young have excellent camouflage and can hide among their surroundings. At night and in bad weather, the father and mother brood the young or cover them with their wings. Both parents care for the chicks, which can fly after 12 to 13 days. When fall arrives, the family joins other families to form a flock for the winter. The young can mate when they turn one year old.
The population of red grouse in Great Britain and Ireland has declined due to disease, overgrazing, changing moorlands to grasslands and forested areas, and the poor management of the moors.
Bibliography
"Red Grouse." British Trust for Ornithology, www.bto.org/understanding-birds/birdfacts/red-grouse. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.
"Red Grouse." The Wildlife Trusts, www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/grouse-partridges-pheasant-and-quail/red-grouse. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.