thumb| Tetraogallus caucasicus - [[MHNT]]
The Caucasian snowcock (Tetraogallus caucasicus) is a snowcock in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds.
It is native to the Caucasus Mountains, particularly the Western Caucasus, where it breeds at altitudes from 2000 to 4000 m on bare stony mountains. It nests in a bare ground scrape and lays typically 5-6 greenish eggs, which are incubated only by the female. Its food is seeds and vegetable matter. It forms small flocks when not breeding.
Description
This is a long bird. Its plumage is patterned with grey, brown, white and black, but this snowcock looks grey from any distance. The breast is darker and the flanks ruddier than the rest of the body. It has a white throat and a white patch on the side of the neck. The nape is rust-colored.
In flight, this wary bird shows white flight feathers and undertail, and reddish sides to the tail. Male and female plumages are similar, but the juvenile is slightly smaller and duller in appearance.
Caucasian snowcock has a desolate whistling song, vaguely like a Eurasian curlew, '. The calls include loud cackles and bubbled '.
General Behavior
The bird's ability to move is limited due to its poor flight ability, where it's often only able to glide or drift down hills. The bird's main movement is using its legs, which permit it to bounce between the rocky slopes of the Caucasus mountains. This lack of strong flight patterns means the bird is unable to travel far distances from the mountains that the bird originates from, meaning the bird is only found in the Caucasian mountains.
Hunting Behavior
The Snowcock has a simple daily pattern due to its limited flight ability. The bird will coast down the mountain side in the early morning to feed and over the course of the day, will make their way back up the mountain side for their nocturnal resting sites.
References
- Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse by Madge and McGowan,