Species Spotlight: Ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus)
This month, we cast the Species Spotlight on the ruffed grouse!
Recently, Land Trust staff and volunteers noticed a curious ruffed grouse along the trails at our Pileated Woodpecker Preserve in McKenna.
While most grouse are elusive and wary, some are known to approach humans. This grouse has been tagging along with Site Stewards on property visits and following our weekly volunteer crew, taking advantage of them stirring up leaves to find insects and other food in the brush.
Identification
Bonasa umbellus is roughly the size of a chicken (gallus gallus domesticus), although as the scientific names suggest, the two are not directly related. The grouse’s coloring ranges from brown to gray with white spots, and it can be recognized by its fan-shaped tail with a thick black band along the edge. When displaying, males fan their tail and puff out their long, black neck feathers. They often stand on a stump or log and beat their wings against their body, making a deep drumming sound. Outside of this display, males and females are similar in appearance and can be difficult to distinguish.
Habitat
The ruffed grouse is typically found in woodland habitats at a wide range of elevation, from sea level to over 3,700 meters (12,000 feet), across the United States and Canada. They prefer forested streams with a mix of deciduous trees and conifers, including a lush understory with a variety of insects, seeds, and berries to feed on. The most important native trees for the Bonasa umbellus have been identified as black cottonwood, bigleaf maple, vine maple and sitka spruce, all of which the Land Trust installs on our protected lands.
Although the ruffed grouse is often hidden by thick vegetation, it can be spotted foraging on the forest floor or sitting in dust or on anthills, fluffing its feathers.
Protection
While Bonasa umbellus is not designated as a vulnerable species, our restoration efforts at Nisqually Land Trust aim to benefit all wildlife in the Nisqually watershed.
Each observation of wildlife enjoying our protected lands demonstrates that our work to protect and encourage healthy, biodiverse forests with a variety of native trees and shrubs makes a difference, allowing our native wildlife to thrive.