Black grouse

Black grouse is a large game bird with a round, sturdy body, white wingbar, feathered legs and a small beak. The metallic blue-black cock has a Lyre-shaped tail and red wattles above the eyes. Females are yellow-brown with white and black cross lines. Black grouses are herbivores and eat birch buds, alder catkins, plant shoots and berries.

Black grouse`s typical habitats are coniferous and mixed forest areas with wooded marshes. The distribution area covers the Eurasian coniferous forest zone. The blackhen makes a nest in the ground where she lays 8-10 eggs. After hatching, the chicks start to move on their mother's heels when they are very young.

Black grouse has many beliefs and is featured in folk traditions such as paintings and poems, thanks to its impressive display, appearance and lyre-like tail.

The handsome black grouse cock starts its showy and loud courtship ritual on early spring. Typical mating areas include open marshes, lake ice and forest openings, where the grouse cocks compete for the attention of the females, bouncing and muttering to each other. Black grouses’ habitats are managed by favoring deciduous trees and ensuring the conservation of brushes and shrub.