Ruffed grouse
- The ruffed grouse feeds on tree buds, birch catkins, and berries, but its favorite treat is bilberries.
- A ruffed grouse weighing 400–450 g is very agile and can escape even from the most secure fence.
- The ruffed grouse weighs on average 500–650 g, but some males reach a weight of up to 800 g.
- The ruffed grouse has a partially feathered tarsus without spurs, and at the very bottom it is covered with scutes.
- The ruffed grouse, despite its non-migratory lifestyle, is timid and may flee from unusual events. This makes it especially prone to escaping from enclosures.
- Ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) have quartz grit added to their diet, which activates the digestion process and improves food processing in their stomach.
Age
The ruffed grouse has a typical lifespan of from 8 years and 3 months to 13 years and 9 months, although the maximum recorded lifespan is 11 years, with a theoretical lifespan ranging from 7 years and 11 months to 11 years and 3 months. The species reaches sexual maturity from 3 to 5 months of age; eyes open at birth. An embryo develops inside an egg for approximately 24 days. The chick stage begins after hatching, and the young bird is covered in down, quickly learning to find food, lasting from 1 to 2 weeks. The adult stage, which includes birds capable of reproduction and independent living, lasts from 1 to 7 years.
Phenotype
Ruffed grouse young have down feathers that are a soft yellow-brown color, which effectively retains heat; adult birds have a short and strong beak suited for nipping leaves and buds, and a collar of long black feathers on the neck that males raise during courtship displays to appear larger. The species' plumage is grey-brown with dark stripes, aiding in camouflage amongst trees and foliage, and it possesses a wide tail with a dark stripe at the end, used for balance and signaling. Ruffed grouse have two wings which are short and broad, enabling rapid takeoffs and utilized by males to produce a drumming sound.
Physiology
The ruffed grouse has a body length ranging from 40 to 50 centimeters, and its mass varies from 392 to 477 grams; the embryonic stage presents individuals with a body mass of 17 to 20 grams and a body length of 4 to 4.5 centimeters, while the chick stage includes individuals with a body mass of 15 to 80 grams and a body length of 10 to 20 centimeters; the adult stage has a body mass from 0.5 to 0.65 kilograms and a body length from 40 to 50 centimeters.
Habitat
The ruffed grouse occupies elevations up to 2 kilometers above sea level and inhabits terrestrial landscapes including highlands, tundra, and ground forests. The species is found in temperate mixed forests with warm summers and abundant oaks, birches, and maples, as well as temperate coniferous forests characterized by cool temperatures, numerous coniferous trees, and snow during winter. Ruffed grouse also utilizes flooded meadows where water frequently covers the ground and there is plentiful grass, and taiga environments with cold winters and many coniferous trees such as spruce and pine. The climate is consistently very wet with frequent rainfall and high humidity, and summers can be cool or warm with abundant rain and snowfall in winter.
Shelter
The ruffed grouse shelters on forest soil beneath shrubs, fallen tree trunks, or thick grass. The species utilizes nests as shelters; these are nest structures built or used for laying eggs and raising young. Nest materials include small branches and feathers.
Geography
The ruffed grouse is found within the Nearctic biogeographical region, inhabiting Lowland forests of the Eastern Great Lakes, Forests of New England and Acadia, and the Transition zone between eastern Canadian forests and the boreal zone.
Feeding
The ruffed grouse eats plants and animals; during summer, its diet includes leaves, berries, seeds, and insects, while in winter, the primary food source consists of tree buds and twigs. The species forages for food on the ground and on low branches of trees, consuming leaves, tree buds, berries, seeds, insects, coniferous cones, and plant buds. The daily food requirement ranges from 50 grams to 90 grams. Young ruffed grouse feed on invertebrates, specifically beetles, flies, true bugs, butterflies, freshwater shrimp, ribbon worms, mollusks, nematodes, bedbugs, grasshoppers, dragonflies, and caddisflies.
Reproduction
The ruffed grouse reproduces beginning in the spring; the male performs a courtship display by drumming with his wings. The female constructs a nest on the ground and lays from 6 to 14 eggs, incubating them alone for approximately 24 days. Development of the embryo takes 3 weeks and 3 days. A brood consists of from 6 to 14 young, which quickly become independent. The species reaches maturity from 11 months to 1 year and 1 month. Reproduction occurs every 1 year.