Spruce Grouse
Spruce Grouse: Medium grouse with barred, dark gray-brown upperparts, black underparts show white bars on breast, white chevrons on sides, belly. Throat is white-bordered black; red eye combs. Tail is either black with fine white spots near base (Franklin's) or black with rufous-brown tip (Tiaga).
● Song:
"whuh whuh whuh whuh", "cow cow cacacaca", "sreep", "heep"
● Foraging & Feeding:
Spruce Grouse: Majority of diet made up of conifer needles, particularly pine needles. Also feeds on a variety of herbaceous plants, leaves, and flowers. Occasionally takes insects.
● Breeding & nesting:
Spruce Grouse: Monogamous. Nest is a scrape or depression on the ground often at the base of a conifer. Female lays five to ten brown marked, buff to pink or light brown eggs and incubates for 21 to 24 days. Precocial young leave the nest as soon as they are dry, return to female to brood frequently at at night. Young stay with female for 10 to 15 weeks.
● Similar species:
Spruce Grouse: Ruffed Grouse is larger, has a small crest, dark subterminal tail band, and dark patch on side of neck. Male lacks red eye comb. Dusky and Sooty Grouse are dusky and sooty in color, males have yellow or orange comb above eyes. Sooty Grouse has wide, gray tipped terminal band on tail.