black grouse

Black Grouse
Male
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Galliformes
Family:	Phasianidae[citation needed]
Subfamily:	Tetraoninae
Genus:	Tetrao[citation needed]
Species:	T. tetrix
Binomial name
Tetrao tetrix (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Lyrurus tetrix L.

The Black Grouse or Blackgame (Tetrao tetrix) is a large game bird in the grouse family. It is a sedentary species, breeding across northern Eurasia in moorland and bog areas near to woodland, mostly boreal. The Black Grouse is closely related to the Caucasian Grouse.

Black Grouse is a large bird with males being around 53 centimetres (21 in) long and weighing 1,000–1,450 grams (2.2–3.2 lb) and females approximately 40 centimetres (16 in) and weighing 750–1,110 grams (1.7–2.4 lb)^[1] The cock is very distinctive, with black plumage, apart from red wattles and a white wingbar, and a lyre-shaped tail, which appears forked in flight. His song is loud, bubbling and somewhat dove-like.^[1]

The female is greyish-brown and has a cackling call. She takes all responsibility for nesting and caring for the chicks, as is typical with gamebirds.

Reproduction and distribution

Egg of Lyrurus tetrix tetrix

Black grouse have a very distinctive and well recorded courtship ritual or game. At dawn in the spring, the males strut around in a traditional area and display whilst making a highly distinctive mating call. This process is called a lek - the grouse are said to be lekking. In western Europe these gatherings seldom involve more than 40 birds; in Russia 150 is not uncommon and 200 have been recorded.^[1]

Black Grouse can be found across Europe (Swiss-Italian-French Alps specially) from Great Britain (but not Ireland) through Scandinavia and Estonia into Russia. In Eastern Europe they can be found in Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Ukraine. There is a population in The Alps, and isolated remnants in Germany, France, Belgium and Holland.^[1] It formerly occurred in Denmark, but the Danish Ornithological Society (DOF) has considered it extinct since 2001.

Status

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Black Grouse cock

Drawing of tetrao tetrix

Although this species is declining in western Europe, it is not considered to be vulnerable due to the large population (global estimate is 15-40 million individuals) and slow rate of decline.^[2] Its decline is due to loss of habitat, disturbance, predation by foxes, crows, etc., and small populations gradually dying out.

United Kingdom

They have declined in the UK (especially England), having disappeared from many of their former haunts. They are now extirpated in Lancashire, Derbyshire, Exmoor, East Yorkshire, New Forest, Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire, Quantock Hills, Cornwall, Dartmoor, Kent, Wiltshire and Surrey.

A program to re-introduce Black Grouse into the wild started in 2003 in the Upper Derwent Valley area of the Peak District in England. 30 grouse were released in October 2003, followed by 10 male grouse in December 2004 and a further 10 male and 10 female in April 2005. Also recently on the Isle of Arran- Scotland. The programme is being run jointly by the National Trust, Severn Trent Water and Peak District National Park.

Conservation groups helping to revive the Black Grouse include the RSPB and the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust.

Relationship to humans

The tails of black-cocks have, since late Victorian times, been popular adornments for hats worn with Highland Dress. Most commonly associated with Glengarry and Balmoral or Tam O'Shanter caps, they still continue to be worn by pipers of civilian and military pipe bands. Since 1904, all ranks of the Royal Scots and King's Own Scottish Borderers have worn them in their full-dress headgear and that tradition is carried on in the dress glengarries of the current Scottish-super regiment, The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Etymology

The male and female are sometimes referred to by their folk names, Blackcock and Greyhen respectively. These names first occur in the literature with John Ray in 1674.^[3]

Both Tetrao and tetrix come from Ancient Greek words referring to some form of game bird.^[4]

References

• BirdLife International (2004). Tetrao tetrix. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern

Notes

External links

• Black Grouse video, picture & sound Internet Bird Collection, IBC
• Black Grouse in the UK Published in support of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan for black grouse
• Black Grouse RSPB
• Black Grouse Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust
• Black Grouse photos and voice
• Black Grouse Lekking (Video)
• Media related to Lyrurus tetrix at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Tetrao tetrix at Wikispecies
• Tetrao tetrix in the Flickr: Field Guide Birds of the World
• Tetrao tetrix on Avibase

v d e Game animals and shooting in the United Kingdom Game birds Common Pheasant · Grey Partridge · Red-legged Partridge · Red Grouse · Rock Ptarmigan · Black Grouse1 · Eurasian Woodcock · Common Snipe Quarry species Mallard · Teal · Wood Pigeon · Golden Plover · Canada Goose · Greylag Goose · Pink-footed Goose · Greater White-fronted Goose2 · Eurasian Wigeon · Tufted Duck · Northern Shoveler · Northern Pintail · Gadwall · Common Pochard · Common Goldeneye · Common Moorhen · Eurasian Coot Deer Red Deer · Roe Deer · Fallow Deer · Sika Deer · Reeves's Muntjac · Water Deer Other quarry European Hare · Red Fox · European Rabbit Opponents League Against Cruel Sports · Animal Aid Law Game Act 1831 · Hunting Act 2004 See also British Association for Shooting and Conservation · Hunting and shooting in the United Kingdom · Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust · Countryside Alliance · Glorious Twelfth · Gamekeeper · Deer stalking 1 Rarely shot due to declining numbers. 2 England and Wales only; protected Scotland.