Spruce grouse
Spruce grouse | |
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Male of the nominate subspecies | |
Female | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Galliformes |
Family: | Phasianidae |
Tribe: | Tetraonini |
Genus: | Canachites Stejneger, 1885 |
Species: | C. canadensis
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Binomial name | |
Canachites canadensis | |
Subspecies | |
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Distribution map of the spruce grouse | |
Synonyms | |
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The spruce grouse (Canachites canadensis), also known as Canada grouse, spruce hen or fool hen, Canachites.
It is one of the most
Taxonomy
In 1747, the English naturalist
In the first half of the 20th century, spruce grouse were classified as two separate species in the genus Canachites: spruce grouse (C. canadensis) and
The species was later moved to the genus Dendragapus, congeneric with the
The spruce grouse has six recognized subspecies:[8]
Image | Subspecies | Distribution |
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C. c. atratus (Grinnell, 1910) | southern Alaska | |
C. c. canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) | central | |
C. c. canace (Linnaeus, 1766) | southeast Canada and northeast United States | |
C. c. franklinii (Douglas, 1829) | southeast Alaska to northwest Wyoming and Idaho | |
C. c. isleibi (Dickerman & Gustafson, 1996) | southeast Alaska | |
C. c. osgoodi (Bishop, 1900) | northern Alaska |
Description
Spruce grouse are 38–43 cm (15–17 in) long; males weigh 550–650 g (19–23 oz) and females 450–550 g (16–19 oz). The spruce grouse has a wingspan range of 21.5-22.6 in (54.5-57.5 cm).[16] Races vary slightly in plumage, especially in the tail pattern and in the extent of white on the underparts, but in general adult males are mainly grey above and black below, with white spots along the side, and a red patch of bare skin over the eye called the "eyebrow comb[17]". This red eyebrow comb, should not be confused by a similar yellow marking found on other species of grouse including, but not limited to, sharp-tailed and dusky grouse. Adult females are mottled brown (red morph) or mottled grey (grey morph) with dark and white bars on the underparts. Juveniles resemble females. Females may be confused with ruffed grouse but they have a dark tail with a pale band at the end (while the reverse is true in ruffed grouse) and they do not erect their crown feathers when alarmed the way ruffed grouse do.
Spruce grouse are among the most silent of all grouse, but they nevertheless have a number of calls used to warn of predators, to repel territorial intruders, to maintain brood cohesion, or to elicit brooding. In the subspecies franklinii, territorial males are notable for their wing-clap display. At the end of a short flight through the trees, the wings are brought together over the back so as to produce two sharp claps, about 0.5 s apart, loud enough to be heard by the human ear 150 m away. These territorial displays can sometimes be elicited by similar hand clapping, and can be used to detect male territories and estimate their density. Other non-vocal sounds include soft drumming by territorial males (a sound produced by the beating wings) and a tail-swish and a whoosh produced by the tail feathers in flight.
Distribution and habitat
As a specialist of the
The spruce grouse is essentially a permanent resident. However, in southwestern Alberta up to 35% of females and 7% of males move several kilometers (up to 11) between summer breeding sites and wintering sites.[18][19] Similar movements have also been documented in Alaska[20] and New Brunswick (Canada).[21]
Behaviour and ecology
This species prefers to walk on the ground or along tree limbs rather than fly. Like other grouse, in the fall they grow "snow shoes" (short lateral extensions, or pectinations) on their toes. This increases the surface area of the toes and helps support the bird on snow and probably to grip branches as well. The pectinations are shed in the spring. Flights are usually over short distances, most commonly from the ground to a tree nearby, or vice versa. Flight can be rapid but no actual measures of velocity have been made.
Breeding
Males are promiscuous; they disperse and advertise a territory that is visited by females for mating. Females are solely responsible for the rest of the reproductive effort though males have been known to stay with young chicks and seem to aid in keeping the brood together. For a nest, they scratch a depression in the ground in a bush or under a low-lying coniferous branch or fallen tree, away from other females and from the males' territories. The nest is lined with grasses, leaves, and a few feathers. Nesting season is from early May to early July. Up to 10 eggs may be laid, the usual number being 4–7. Laying rate is 1 egg every 1.4 days.
Food and feeding
The staple winter food is conifer needles, clipped directly from the tree, preferably the midcrown of pines though other conifers such as spruce are exploited as well. Spruce needles are high in calcium and their increase in use by females in Spring may be related to egg production
Predators
Spruce grouse eggs are taken by
.Relationship with humans
This species is commonly hunted. Annual bag figures in the late 1970s were about 188,000 birds in the US and about 360,000 in Canada.[23] Even though it has been deemed of Least Concern by IUCN, in the United States this bird is a protected species according to many northern states' hunting rules. The spruce grouse is available for hunting in Alaska from August 10 - March 31 and in some regions through May 15 according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Conversely, the spruce grouse is considered threatened in its southern range - being listed as
Gallery
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Male and female spruce grouse, Nelson, British Columbia
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Female spruce grouse, Grands-Jardins National Park, Québec
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Male, Acadia National Park, Maine
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Male spruce grouse during mating season
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A chick, Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland
References
- ^ BirdLife International (2014). "Falcipennis canadensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
- ^ Webster's New International Dictionary (2 ed.). Springfield, Massachusetts: Marriam-Webster. 1943. p. 982.
- ISBN 0-679-42917-4.
- ^ Edwards, George (1747). A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. Vol. Part II. London: Printed for the author at the College of Physicians. p. 71, Plate 71.
- ^ Edwards, George (1750). A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. Vol. Part III. London: Printed for the author at the College of Physicians. p. 118, Plate 118.
- ^ Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 159.
- .
- ^ Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Pheasants, partridges, francolins". IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P. (January 2021). "IOC World Bird List (v 11.1)". Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ "Check-list of North and Middle American Birds". American Ornithological Society. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ March 5, 2021
- ^ "Taxonomic Updates – IOC World Bird List". Retrieved 2021-07-14.
- ^ Tuck, L.M. (1968). Recent Newfoundland bird records. Auk 85:304-311.
- ^ Lemay, Y. (1989). Charactérisation de l'habitat de reproduction du tétras du Canada (Dendragopus canadensis) sur l'Ile d'Anticosti. MSc thesis, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.
- ^ "Spruce Grouse Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology". www.allaboutbirds.org. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
- ^ "Spruce Grouse". Cornell Lab of ornithology; All about birds. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ Schroeder, M.A. (1985). Behavioural differences of female Spruce grouse undertaking short and long migrations. Condor 85:281-286.
- ^ Schroeder, M.A., and D.A. Boag (1987). "Dispersal in Spruce grouse: is inheritance involved?" Animal Behaviour 36: 305-307.
- ^ Ellison, L.N. (1973)." Seasonal social organization and movements of Alaskan Spruce Grouse." Condor 75:375-385.
- ^ Herzog, P.W., and D.M. Keppie (1980). "Migration in a local population of Spruce Grouse." Condor 82:366-372.
- ^ McCourt, K.H., D.A. Boag, and D.M. Keppie (1973). "Female Spruce Grouse activities during laying and incubation." Auk 90:619-623.
- ^ a b Boag, D.A. and M.A. Schroeder (1992). Spruce Grouse. In The Birds of North America, No.5 (A, Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, eds.), Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, DC: The American Ornithologists' Union.
- ^ JSTOR 1366665.
- ^ Pendergast, B.A.; Boag, D. A. (1973). "Seasonal Changes in the Internal Anatomy of Spruce Grouse in Alberta". The Auk. 90 (2): 307–317.
- ^ Ellison, L.N. (1966). Seasonal foods and chemical analysis of winter diet of Alaskan spruce grouse. Journal of Wildlife Management 30:729-735.
- ^ Pendergast, B.A. and D.A. Boag (1971). "Maintenance and Breeding of spruce Grouse in Captivity" Journal of Wildlife Management 35(1):177-179.
- ^ Boag, D.A., S.G. Reebs, and M.A. Schroeder (1984). Egg loss among Spruce Grouse inhabiting lodgepole pine forests. Canadian Journal of Zoology 62:1034–1037.
- ^ Robinson, W.L. (1980). Fool Hen: the Spruce Grouse on the Yellow Dog Plains. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.
- ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
- ^ DEC, NYS. "Spruce Grouse - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation". www.dec.ny.gov. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
- del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal (eds.) (1994). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 2. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions.
- Ehrlich, P.R., D.S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye (1988). The Birder's Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc.
- Terres, J.K. (1982). The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
- Pendergast, B.A. and D.A. Boag (1971). "Maintenance and Breeding of spruce Grouse in Captivity" Journal of Wildlife Management 35(1):177-179.
- Pendergast, B.A. and D.A. Boag (1970). “Seasonal Changes in Diet of Spruce Grouse in Central Alberta” Journal of Wildlife Management 34(3):605-609.
- Pendergast, B.A. and D.A. Boag (1973). “Seasonal Changes in the Internal Anatomy of Spruce Grouse in Alberta” The Auk Vol. 90,(2): 307- 317.
- Pendergast, B.A. and D.A. Boag (1971). "Nutritional Aspects of the Diet of Spruce Grouse in Central Alberta" The Condor Vol. 73, (4): 437- 443.
External links
- Spruce Grouse Factsheet New York Department of Environmental Conservation
- Spruce Grouse, Cornell Lab of Ornithology