Pheasants and grouse · Gamebirds
Hazel Grouse
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Tetrastes bonasia
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Voice
Call
How to recognize it
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35–37 cm long, plump build
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Smoky gray at a distance, sometimes rusty-toned; fine black, brown and white mottling
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Male: black throat and pronounced crest; female: gray or off-white throat, smaller crest
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Thin, high-pitched male whistle, "tsee-tsee-tsee-tsee-tsee"
About the species
At a distance, its finely mottled feathers make the Hazel Grouse look smoky gray with a warm brown wash; closer, the brown wings and chestnut flecks across its pale underparts become clearer. A bright red ring circles each dark eye. The male has a black throat edged in white and a short crest, while the female's throat is gray and her crest smaller.
It spends much of the warmer months on the ground, running through cover or freezing when something approaches. If flushed, it bursts up with loud wingbeats and quickly hides in nearby branches; the male's thin, high "ti-ti-ti-ti-ti" whistle may be the only clue it's nearby. In deep winter, it may burrow into snow for shelter from the cold.
It stays in the same forest region year-round rather than migrating long distances. Look for it in dense, damp mixed woodland, often where spruce grows. It feeds mostly on plants, taking berries and seeds in warmer months and tree buds and catkins in winter, with insects adding to its diet during breeding.
Where to find
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In damp mixed woods with spruce and birch, look for Hazel Grouse feeding on the ground on berries and seeds in spring and summer.
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On forest tracks edged with edible plants and scattered small stones, watch for quick pecks at the ground as grit is picked up for digestion.
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During the spring breeding season — whose timing varies by region and can extend into early summer — listen in the woods for a male's thin, lingering whistle from a thick low branch or from the ground.
