Ruffed Grouse
From season to season in the north woods, as colors change and as songbirds come and go, Ruffed Grouse maintain a constant and distinctive presence. In fall and winter, they most often reveal themselves by exploding into flight, breaking the silence with the startlingly loud thrum of their wingbeats. In spring, males advertise their presence by beating their wings in the air from a low perch and generating drumming sounds, so low in frequency many humans feel them rather than hearing them.

Ruffed Grouse live in deciduous and mixed forests of northern North America, from central Alaska across much of Canada, to northern California, northern Utah, the Great Lakes states, New England, and the Appalachians, as far south as northern Georgia. They also may be found in isolated areas in Missouri and Arkansas. They prefer aspen woodlands across much of the northern portion of their range, and mixed early-succession forest in the northeastern United States.
Ruffed Grouse Range Map

Ruffed Grouse eat mostly plant matter, specializing on various specific items depending on season and location. Typically, Ruffed Grouse consume leaves of herbaceous plants in summer; adults and especially chicks also eat insects. In autumn, Ruffed Grouse eat acorns or berries, and in winter, buds, twigs, and catkins.

Male Ruffed Grouse claim and maintain territories through displays, including spreading of ruff (long black neck feathers) and tail, strutting, hissing, and head-shaking. In their most distinctive and best-known territorial display, male Ruffed Grouse stand on a slightly raised perch, brace their tails, spread their wings, and bring them forward, then suddenly backward. This sudden motion compresses and then releases air, producing a sound like a very low drumbeat. Drumming begins slowly, then accelerates to a steady roll; in a single sequence, lasting about 10 seconds, Ruffed Grouse beat their wings up to 50 times.

Ruffed Grouse nest on the ground, often near the base of a tree, stump, or rock. The species prefers nest sites that are relatively open at ground level, to permit easy viewing of predators and prompt escape to safety. The nest itself is a simple depression that the sitting female lines with vegetation within immediate reach.

Clutches consist of 9 to 14 eggs. Only females incubate, sitting extremely still on the nest and leaving only briefly to feed and defecate, one to five times per day. Eggs hatch synchronously; within about 24 hours after hatching, the brood leaves the nest with the hen. Chicks can feed themselves, and increase their weight by approximately sevenfold to tenfold in the first two weeks after hatching. Hens watch over their chicks for about 12 weeks, brooding them at night and in cold weather, and keeping predators away with aggressive rushes or feigned broken-wing displays.

Ruffed Grouse are medium-sized grouse, measuring about 18 inches from bill to tail tip. Most often seen in flight, they have a distinctive silhouette, with a small crested head, round body, and wide fan-shaped tail. Adults have cryptic coloration, ranging from gray to brown to reddish-brown. Most flight feathers and contour feathers show intricate detail, which form complex patterns of mottling, fine barring, and spotting over the bird’s body. Flanks show broad, bold brownish bars against a pale background. Tail shows broad, finely patterned bands alternating with narrow black bands, with a thick black band near the tip. Thin white stripes run from the bill to behind the eyes. Adult male has long black feathers on sides of neck; these feathers, usually concealed, can be raised into a prominent ruff in displays. Sexes otherwise similar, though the black band near the tail tip is often broken, especially at the central two feathers, in females.

Ruffed Grouse vocalize softly, with a variety of clucks, chirps, coos, and hisses. They are most often heard issuing a distinctive thrum from their wingbeats in flight. Drumming of displaying males begins slowly then accelerates to a rapid roll; these beats are so low in frequency that they sometimes seem to be felt rather than heard.


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