Grouse
Grouse, order Galliformes, are popular game birds of the family Tetraonidae and are related to the other gallinaceous birds including the turkey, the quail, the chachalaca, and domestic strains of poultry
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Updated On: 10/11/2007Print

Grouse are a group of birds from the order Galliformes. Grouse inhabit temperate and subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere. They are game and are sometimes hunted for food.

In all but one species (the Willow Grouse), males are polygamous, and many species have elaborate courtship displays. These heavily built birds have legs feathered to the toes. Most species are year-round residents, and do not migrate.

These birds feed mainly on vegetation, but also on insects, especially when feeding young.

The American Ornithologists' Union includes grouse (Tetraonidae) as a subfamily of Phasianidae. Based on mtDNA sequences, some systematists believe that certain species belong in new genera.

The tetraonids include the ptarmigans--the willow ptarmigan, Lagopus lagopus, and the rock ptarmigan, L. mutus, in Arctic regions; and the white-tailed ptarmigan, L. leucurus, in the high Rockies. All species have insulating double feathers and feathered feet; even the toes are feathered in the ptarmigans. So-called snowshoes, shed in summer, are characteristic of some species. Tetraonids also have erectile feathers--ruffs or pinnae--on the sides of the neck, and some have inflatable cervical pouches for producing the booming sounds characteristic of some species. They lay large clutches of eggs. They are nearly immune to starvation because of their varied diet. Intestinal ceca harbor bacteria that function in the microbial decomposition of cellulose, which is prominent in their diet.

Grouse make almost ideal game birds; most species can stand heavy hunting pressure. An exception is the spruce grouse, Canachites canadensis, which is too tame to make a challenging target and is often unpalatable.

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