Spruce Grouse
Spruce Grouse have been called "fool grouse" because of their extreme tameness. Sitting motionless in trees, they may allow humans to approach closely; even so, birders can pass unaware of their presence. Unfortunately, because of their tameness, hunters have been able to eliminate them from some areas close to human habitation.

The Spruce Grouse is confined to the boreal conifer forest with a range extending across North America from Alaska to Labrador. In the East the species is found south to northern New England, the Adirondack Mountains of New York, and northern Michigan to Minnesota. In the West, Spruce Grouse are found south through the Rocky Mountains and Cascades. Conifer forests provide cover and food. During the winter small flocks of Spruce Grouse forage entirely in trees, feeding on the buds and needles of short-leaved conifers. In the eastern parts of their range they are primarily associated with spruce and balsam fir forests, while in the Rocky Mountains lodgepole pine is an important source and may comprise 100 percent of the winter diet.
Spruce Grouse Range Map

Spruce Grouse are generally sedentary, with some populations shifting slightly between summer and winter territories. In late April and May, males establish territories ranging from 3 to 20 acres. In forest openings with low mossy vegetation, males display, strutting with their tails fanned, neck feathers erected, and the bright red combs above their eyes engorged. Another display is called the flutter-jump. The displaying male makes a short vertical flight to about 14 feet, making a drumming sound with beating wings audible for only about 200 yards, and fluttering back to earth. Some males fly from branches, dropping to about 6 feet before bringing the body to a vertical position and drumming during descent. Birds of the franklinii subspecies (Franklin's Grouse) found in the western United States add two loud wing claps to this display. .

No pair bonds are formed and females typically have their own separate territories. Nests are typically located under cover of low branches or in brush. The usual number of speckled buffy pink eggs laid is seven or eight. The young leave the nest shortly after hatching. The precocious hatchlings feed themselves, initially eating insects and other arthropods exclusively. By the end of summer the young have adopted the Spruce Grouse summer diet, which is dominated by fruit such as blueberries, cranberries, and snowberries. They start eating conifer needles in October, and by November needles and buds become their major food.

Description: Spruce Grouse are medium-sized short-tailed grouse. Females are barred on the head and upperparts with black and gray, and have barred whitish underparts. There are two color morphs, rufous and gray, differing primarily in the overall warmth of their plumage.

Males have black throats and black upper breasts bordered with white-tipped feathers. The belly is dark with white spots. Upperparts are finely marked with gray and black and the tail is mostly black. There are two distinct populations of Spruce Grouse that differ in male plumage. In the Franklin's type in the western United States, the tail is all black with conspicuous white tips on the upper tail coverts, while the population occurring across Canada to the northeastern United States has a rufous band at the end of the tail.


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