Eurasian Black Grouse
Lyrurus or Tetrao tetrix
Where is it found?
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Grassland, heather moorland and woodland
Diet and foraging method
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Forage on the ground. Adults prefer to eat the shoots and buds of plants, but will also eat fruits, and their young mainly eat insects.
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Key adaptations
Females are brown and drab so they are camouflaged.
Males have distinctive black plumage with a white rump, red wattle and lyre-shaped tail for attracting females.
Males have distinctive black plumage with a white rump, red wattle and lyre-shaped tail for attracting females.
Social organisation and mating system
Form flocks in winter
Males court females at a lekking ground, the most impressive males get the most matings.
Did you know that...?
Male Black Grouse get up at dawn in spring to dance for females to try to impress them. They also perform a loud bubbling sound to attract females over to their dance floor.
Taxonomy
Picture credit:
Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
"Birkhahn" by Vnp. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Birkhahn.jpg#/media/File:Birkhahn.jpg
"Tetrao tetrix males lekking" by Gagea - Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tetrao_tetrix_males_lekking.jpg#/media/File:Tetrao_tetrix_males_lekking.jpg
"Black Grouse - Finland 050068 (15357063249)" by Francesco Veronesi from Italy - Black Grouse - Finland 050068. Licenced under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Grouse_-_Finland_050068_(15357063249).jpg#/media/File:Black_Grouse_-_Finland_050068_(15357063249).jpg
"Flickr - Rainbirder - Black Grouse (Tetrao tetrix) Male" by Steve Garvie from Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland - Black Grouse (Tetrao tetrix) Male. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_-_Rainbirder_-_Black_Grouse_(Tetrao_tetrix)_Male.jpg#/media/File:Flickr_-_Rainbirder_-_Black_Grouse_(Tetrao_tetrix)_Male.jpg
"Birkhahn" by Vnp. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Birkhahn.jpg#/media/File:Birkhahn.jpg
"Tetrao tetrix males lekking" by Gagea - Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tetrao_tetrix_males_lekking.jpg#/media/File:Tetrao_tetrix_males_lekking.jpg
"Black Grouse - Finland 050068 (15357063249)" by Francesco Veronesi from Italy - Black Grouse - Finland 050068. Licenced under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Grouse_-_Finland_050068_(15357063249).jpg#/media/File:Black_Grouse_-_Finland_050068_(15357063249).jpg
"Flickr - Rainbirder - Black Grouse (Tetrao tetrix) Male" by Steve Garvie from Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland - Black Grouse (Tetrao tetrix) Male. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_-_Rainbirder_-_Black_Grouse_(Tetrao_tetrix)_Male.jpg#/media/File:Flickr_-_Rainbirder_-_Black_Grouse_(Tetrao_tetrix)_Male.jpg