thumb|A male found at the [[Kortright Centre for Conservation|Kortright Center for Conservation]]

The ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is the most widely distributed game bird in North America. It is not migratory. It is the only species in the genus Bonasa. The ruffed grouse is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a "partridge", an unrelated phasianid, and occasionally confused with the grey partridge, a bird of open areas rather than woodlands.

Taxonomy

thumb|Ruffed Grouse by [[John J. Audubon c. 1861.]]

Bonasa umbellus was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1766 12th edition of Systema Naturae.

  • B. u. brunnescens (<small>Conover, 1935) - Vancouver Island (Canada)</small>
  • B. u. castanea (<small>Aldrich & Friedmann, 1943) - Olympic Peninsula (USA)</small>
  • B. u. incana (<small>Aldrich & Friedmann, 1943) - southeastern Idaho to central Utah (USA)</small>
  • B. u. labradorensis (<small>Ouellet, 1991) - Labrador Peninsula (Canada)</small>
  • B. u. mediana (<small>Todd, 1940) - north-central USA</small>
  • B. u. monticola (<small>Todd, 1940) - central towards east-central USA</small>
  • B. u. obscura <small>(Todd, 1947) - northern Ontario (Canada)</small>
  • B. u. phaios (<small>Aldrich & Friedmann, 1943) - southeastern British Columbia (Canada) to south-central Idaho and eastern Oregon (USA)</small>
  • B. u. sabini <small>(Douglas, 1829) - western coast of Canada and USA</small>
  • B. u. togata <small>(Linnaeus, 1766) - north-central and northeastern USA and southeastern Canada</small>
  • B. u. umbelloides <small>(Douglas, 1829) - southeastern Alaska (USA) through central Canada to central Oregon and northwestern Wyoming (USA)</small>
  • B. u. umbellus <small>(Linnaeus, 1766) - east-central USA</small>
  • B. u. yukonensis <small>(Grinnell, 1916) - Alaska (USA) and northwestern Canada</small>

Description

thumb|Grey morph.

Ruffed grouse are chunky, medium-sized birds that weigh from , measure from in length, and span across their short, strong wings. Ruffed grouse are polygynous, and males may mate with several females during the breeding season.

Ecology

thumb|An egg

thumbnail|Nest with large [[clutch (eggs)|clutch]]

Like most grouse, they spend most of their time on the ground; mixed woodland rich in aspen seems to be particularly well-liked. These birds forage on the ground or in trees. They are omnivores, eating buds, leaves, berries, seeds, and insects. According to nature writer Don L. Johnson:

Ruffed grouse frequently seek gravel and clover along roadbeds during early morning and late afternoon. These are good areas to walk during this time to flush birds. Also, grouse use sandy roadbeds to dust their feathers to rid themselves of skin pests. Dusting sites are visible as areas of disturbed soils with some signs of feathers. Birds may return to these spots during the late afternoon to bathe in dust and socialize and mate.

Behavior

The ruffed grouse differs from other grouse species in its courtship display. The ruffed grouse relies entirely on a nonvocal, acoustic display, known as drumming, unlike other grouse species. The drumming itself is a rapid, wing-beating display that creates a low-frequency sound, starting slow and speeding up (thump&nbsp;... thump&nbsp;... thump..thump-thump-thump-thump). Even in thick woods, this can be heard for a quarter-mile (400 m) or more.

The ruffed grouse spends most of its time quietly on the ground, and when surprised, may explode into flight, beating its wings very loudly. It will burrow into the snow for warmth in the winter and may suddenly burst out of the snow when approached too closely.

The male grouse proclaims his territory by engaging in a "drumming" display. This sound is made by beating his wings against the air to create a vacuum. It usually stands on a log, stone, or mound of soil when drumming. It does not strike the log to make the noise, it only uses the "drumming log" as a sort of stage.

The ruffed grouse population has a cycle, and follows the cycle no matter how much or how little hunting occurs. The cycle has puzzled scientists for years, and is simply referred to as the "grouse cycle". In spite of this historical cycle, populations have been declining in Pennsylvania and management plans adopted. Habitat loss has been a concern for the species, but the introduction of the West Nile virus has been seen to be further increasing mortality.

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Further reading

  • Ohio Ornithological Society (2004): Annotated Ohio state checklist.
  • State Symbols of Pennsylvania: State Bird, The Ruffed Grouse PDF fulltext
  • Ruffed Grouse Species Account – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  • Ruffed grouse hen video Appalachian Mountains, Floyd Virginia