Everything about The Black Grouse totally explained
The
Black Grouse or
Blackgame (
Tetrao tetrix) is a large
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 Black Grouse. These birds have a group display or
lek in early spring.
As with many
Gamebirds, the male is larger than the female at 49-55 cm compared to her 40-45 cm length. 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.
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.
The male and female are sometimes referred to by their
folk names, Blackcock and Greyhen respectively.
Reproduction and Distribution
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.
Black Grouse can be found across
Europe from
Great Britain (but not
Ireland) through
Scandinavia and into
Russia. In eastern Europe they can be found in
Hungary,
Poland,
Latvia,
Estonia,
Lithuania and
Poland. There is a population in
The Alps, and isolated remnants in
Germany,
Denmark,
France and
Holland.
Conservation
This species is declining in western
Europe due to loss of
habitat, disturbance, predation by foxes, crows, etc., and small populations gradually dying out.
They have declined in the
UK (especially
England), having disappeared from many of their former haunts. They are now
extinct in
Staffordshire,
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. 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 Conservancy Trust.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Black Grouse'.
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