| Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus (Stephens, 1819)) |
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Scientific name: Bonasa umbellus (Stephens, 1819) Common name: Ruffed Grouse French name: Gélinotte huppée Order: Galliformes Family: Phasianidae Size: Body size: 40 to 50 cm; Weight: 450 to 7500 g; Wingspan: 55 to 65 cm. Habitat: Forests. Food: Herbivorous, leaves, twigs and buds, fruits and mushrooms. Nesting: Males attract females with a courtship display where they drum with their wings. They raise their neck feathers and spread their fan-shaped tail. The rudimentary nest is built on the ground by females at the base of a tree. There is a clutch of 7-12 eggs in May-June. Migration: Sedentary. In winter, the Ruffed Grouse can bury itself under the snow to protect itself from the cold and from predators. Geographic area: Northern North America to the Treeline, Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains and West Coast in the United States. |
The Ruffed Grouse exists in two distinct morphs, a morph with rufous-brown plumage and a rufous tail barred with black near the tip and a morph with grey-brown plumage with a grey tail also barred with black near the tip. Both forms bear a ruff of black neck feathers. The reddish-brown form occurs rather to the south of the range, the grey form occurs further north. The bill is short and strong. There is a small crest on the top of the head. The wings are short and the legs are partially feathered. |
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We were quietly walking along the trail that leads to the "Lac aux Américains" when a group of Ruffed Grouse crossed the trail. I read that the Ruffed Grouse is a rather solitary bird but this time there was a group of at least five individuals. I had to walk a few meters back because I was too close and I didn't have time to change lenses to switch to a smaller focal length. |
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I think we have the rufous-brown form here. |
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Here is a nice view of the black neck feathers. |
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The Ruffed Grouse is a bird that is hunted. However, the group was not very shy and this is certainly due to the fact that we are in a national park. |
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It is likely that the group consists of juveniles accompanied by the female. I read that males do not provide any parental care. |
André Bon February 2023