The capercaillie is the largest bird of the grouse family that lives in our country. It lives almost throughout the entire territory of Russia. It prefers to settle in dense coniferous forests, near swamps; sometimes this bird also settles in mixed forests. The capercaillie leads a sedentary lifestyle. But sometimes it can fly from one forest to another.

The capercaillie has very beautiful plumage. Males have brighter colors than females. Their back is black-gray with light specks, their chest is greenish with a metallic tint. The color of the wings is grey. In addition, by spring their eyebrows swell, which turn red during the current.

Female wood grouse are “dressed” more modestly, and are very similar per female black grouse .

It feeds only on plant foods and insects. Their summer diet is dominated by grass, flowers, berries, tree leaves, beetles, grasshoppers and other insects...

The capercaillie does not often use its wings for their intended purpose - it rarely flies. And if it does fly somewhere, it usually does not rise higher than the trees.

Showing for wood grouse is probably the most interesting activity in their lives. They can mating at any time of the year, but the mating season begins only in the spring. In the spring, male wood grouse flock to clearings or meadows, which do not change year after year and serve as their so-called lekking ground. At mating grounds, capercaillie attract females by singing, males fight with each other, find out which of them is the strongest. The “melody” of displaying males is almost always the same: first the capercaillie makes clicks, and then a sound somewhat similar to a hiss. At the same time, he spreads his wings a little, fluffs his tail and stretches his neck. After some time, females fly to the mating site. For each female, especially if there are few of them, serious fights occur, in which the weaker one may even die from wounds.

The current of wood grouse begins early in the morning, several hours before dawn. But some males are looking forward to this event so much that they will fly to the mating the day before it starts.

But female capercaillie may also experience a shortage of “cavaliers” due to poaching, disease, etc. Then the females are forced to fly to the mating area of ​​the black grouse and mate with it. As a result of these connections, a mixture of black grouse and wood grouse - mezhnyak - is born. Mezhnyaks can be similar to both wood grouse and black grouse. It all depends on who the female was. If the female was a capercaillie, then the mezhnyak also looks like a capercaillie. Mezhnyanki live in exactly the same way as other grouse, only they cannot give offspring due to, so to speak, mixing of blood. Just like a crossbreed brown hare with white hare, the cuff hare does not have the ability to reproduce. But despite this, the mezhnyaks still fly to the mating site, but only to fight, and also to in every possible way prevent the pairs from mating. Therefore, in a sense, the mezhnyak is a harmful animal.

If mating is successful, the female begins to build a nest for herself. Typically, capercaillie nests are located near the lek (1-1.5 km). The nest is a small hole, which is lined with twigs, grass, moss, and feathers. The nest is very well camouflaged and protected from rain. After some time, from 6 to 12 yellow-red eggs with small dark specks appear in the nest, which the female lays over the course of several days. Hatching of eggs lasts from 3 to 4 weeks.

Males do not participate in hatching the chicks, as they are in the molting period. At this time they are afraid of everything and hide in the darkest remote places of the forest.

Hatched capercaillie chicks develop very quickly. The female takes them to safety almost immediately after they are born. If during the first days of life they are close to their mother, escaping from the rain and cold under her wing, then after a few days they can already camouflage themselves well in the grass. They will hide in such a way that not everyone hunting dog can detect them.

The mother heroically protects her offspring, and often deceives lovers of chicks (martens, foxes, etc.), pretending to be wounded. While she is diverting attention to herself, the chicks will already have time to hide. But despite all the efforts of the mother, some of the little wood grouse still die before reaching autumn. They become victims of predators or diseases.

About two weeks after birth, the chicks are able to fly short distances. And after a month they fly just like adults.

By autumn, the brood breaks up, all the males leave the mother, and the females remain with her for some time.

In severe frosts, they do not crawl out of their “dens” for whole days, except to fly out for a few minutes to have lunch. Despite their good hearing, wood grouse often in their snowy shelters become victims of foxes, predators of the mustelid family, etc. But usually they hear the approach of animals and fly up into a tree in advance.

The capercaillie always lived with us. He has enough space and food in the taiga. He is not afraid of Morozov. Sleeping in the snow. And it’s warm for a capercaillie to sleep in the snow, like a person in a good blanket.

In the spring, many people flew into the taiga from the warm side different birds. The black grouse also flew in with them. In the taiga, a black grouse met with a wood grouse. We became friends. We lived through the summer. In the fall, the black grouse prepared to fly back to a warm region.

The wood grouse told him:
- You live far away. You'll have a long flight. Do not suffer. Don't get blisters under your wings. Stay here. We will live in the taiga.
- No, I will not stay to live in the taiga. I'm afraid of the cold. In winter I will freeze here and die of hunger. There is nothing to eat here in winter. I'll fly to warmer lands.

The capercaillie answers:
- When the cold comes, I will teach you to bury yourself in the snow. It's warm to sleep in the snow. I sleep and don't freeze. You won't go hungry either. We have enough food.

In winter we will eat pine needles and tree buds. In the spring, when the snow begins to melt, there are a lot of old lingonberries and bearberries. Stay. Live here. It will be more fun for us together in winter. We will live together.

Black grouse believed the wood grouse and agreed to stay in the taiga for the winter.
Snow. Great frosts have set in. The black grouse began to freeze.
“I’ll perish here from the cold,” he said to the wood grouse. - Stay alone in the taiga. I will fly.
- No, I won’t let you go!.. We will live together - spend the winter, get food.
The wood grouse grabbed the black grouse's tail with its paws and held it so tightly that the black grouse's tail feathers curled to the sides.
The black grouse could not escape. He remained in the taiga, but cried so much about his land that his eyebrows turned red from tears. Look at his eyebrows - they are still red.
That's how it was.

The largest and most noble bird of all the black grouse birds is considered to be the capercaillie. It is distinguished by its clumsiness, heavyness and timidity, fast gait and heavy and noisy flight. This bird is not capable of flying long distances. The forests of North Asia were the habitat of wood grouse.

But excessive hunting for them has taken its toll, and in many regions where there used to be a lot of wood grouse, it is now possible not to see a single one. Birds have now settled in, but in Europe there are now fewer and fewer of them, and in the countries of Africa and Australia, in places where there used to be a lot of them, they are completely absent.

Capercaillie majestic and beautiful bird. It feels strong and resilient. Description of the capercaillie has a beautiful color, most often an upturned beak, a lush, fan-like tail that makes you involuntarily admire this spectacle.

A certain clumsiness complements the image and gives it some charm. When searching for food, wood grouse can move very quickly. When it takes off from the ground in flight, a noise and loud fluttering of its wings can be heard.

The capercaillie flies heavily and noisily. Without special need, he does not cover long distances and does not rise too high. Basically, its flight occurs at the height of half the average tree. But if the need arises and the capercaillie needs to move significantly, then it rises to fly high above the forest.

A male capercaillie can be easily distinguished from a female due to the color of its plumage. In males, gray, dark blue and richer tones of color predominate, while females are characterized by a reddish, variegated plumage color. You can admire them endlessly, they are so beautiful and majestic.

Features and habitat of the capercaillie

Bird of the forest prefers tall conifers, as well as mixed ones. You can rarely find them in deciduous trees. A swampy area full of various wild berries is one of the favorite habitats of wood grouse.

Basically, wood grouse prefer to lead a sedentary lifestyle. Seasonal movements from the forest to the valley and back occur very rarely; this happens mainly during severe frosts. The wood grouse's nest can be seen immediately under a tree, not far from roads or paths.

Such carelessness often leads to the death of their brood and even the female at the hands of humans. The female capercaillie is a wonderful and true mother, even if she feels danger to herself, she will never leave her offspring, but will die along with them. There were cases when she walked towards danger, straight into the hands of the enemy, giving the chicks the opportunity to escape.

The character and lifestyle of the capercaillie

The capercaillie is very cautious, possessing perfect hearing and vision. Therefore, hunting him is not very easy. Can behave aggressively if he sees an unfamiliar animal next to him. There have been cases when a capercaillie attacked a dog.

The gathering places of wood grouse rarely change. As a rule, the males are the first to flock to them, climb onto the branches and begin to sing their serenades for the females. Some time passes, the females will join them. Then the most interesting part begins - the fight for females. The fights can be very serious and brutal, after which the winner gets the right to mate with the female.

Basically, this bird prefers solitude; large gatherings are not for them. Morning and evening are their waking hours. During the daytime, they most often rest in trees.

In the winter season, when it is very cold outside, a capercaillie can hide from the frost in the snow and stay there for a couple of days. Birds black grouse and capercaillie They are very similar in their behavior and way of life, it’s not for nothing that they belong to one big family. They differ only in size and color.

Male wood grouse with females

Wood grouse feeding

Wood grouse are big fans of coniferous cones and twigs. If this delicacy is not near them, flowers, buds, leaves, grass and various seeds are great options. Chicks, during their growth, can feed on insects and spiders; for this, the entire family settles next to the anthill.

Adult wood grouse prefer plant foods. In winter, when everything around is covered with snow, these birds spend most of their time on trees, feeding on their branches and bark.

Reproduction and lifespan of wood grouse

About the capercaillie bird they are said to be polygamous. The concept of forming a couple is completely absent for them. Spring is a favorable time for marriage. Mating between a female and a male lasts about a month.

Capercaillie nest with chicks

After this, wood grouse prepare nests for their future offspring. These birds don’t bother too much about building nests. The wood grouse's nest is an ordinary small depression in the ground, covered with branches or leaves.

The average number of eggs is 8 pieces, their size resembling the average egg. Females incubate them for about a month. The chick can follow its mother as soon as it is dry after birth.

The fluff of newborn chicks is clearly not enough to keep them warm and comfortable, so this issue is dealt with by a caring mother who is ready to give the chicks all her warmth.

A month is enough for the rapid growth and development of chicks. After this time, they move from the nest to the trees and begin their independent life.

Almost 80% of eggs die due to severe frosts or from predators such as foxes, martens or stoats. 40-50% of hatched chicks suffer a similar fate. The average lifespan of a capercaillie in its normal habitat is 12 years.

Why was the bird called wood grouse?

An interesting fact is that capercaillies temporarily lose their hearing during their mating, which is where their name comes from. How does it happen that a bird that is always quite cautious loses its hearing, and therefore its vigilance?

Opinions differ on this matter. Some argue that when singing their serenades, the capercaillie strongly uses its upper and lower beaks. The singing attracts the bird to such an extent that it temporarily forgets about everything, including danger.

Others say that in an excited capercaillie, blood rushes to the head, the blood vessels swell and the ear canals close. This version arose as a result of the fact that everyone sees how the upper part of the head of a singing, excited capercaillie swells up.

There are versions that during mating the capercaillie becomes deaf from nervous overexcitation. Buy a capercaillie bird It turns out it's not very simple. It is almost impossible to tame them and make them domestic. In captivity it reproduces very poorly.

The capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) is one of the largest representatives of chickens, almost as tall as a turkey. The weight of males ranges from 3.5 to 6.5 kg, females - from 1.7 to 2.3 kg.

The capercaillie is a large, clumsy and timid bird. Its gait is fast; when searching for food, it often runs on the ground. The capercaillie rises heavily from the ground, loudly flapping its wings and making a lot of noise.

Wood grouse lifestyle

Flight of the wood grouse heavy, noisy, almost straight and short unless absolutely necessary. flies capercaillie usually above the forest or at the height of half a tree; Only in the fall, making more significant movements, does it stay high above the forest. U capercaillie sexual dimorphism is pronounced. Male capercaillie significantly larger than the female and differs sharply from her in plumage color. Unlike the gray female, it appears black from a distance, but in fact its head, neck, back and sides of the body are grayish-gray with a fine dark streaky pattern. The crop is black with a green metallic sheen. Belly capercaillie dark with large white spots or white with rare black-brown spots. Wood grouse wings brown, the tail is black with white blurry spots and a streaky pattern. The female has a general coloration of the upperparts that is yellowish-red with transverse stripes, with brown and buffy tips of the feathers. throat capercaillie ocher, red goiter, sometimes with streaks.

External view of wood grouse

Male capercaillie colored in brown, black and dark gray tones, with white spots on the belly and on the underside of the wing, and a powerful light beak. The female is brownish-red with black ripples. The capercaillie's current song consists of two sounds, the first of which resembles the clicking of a fingernail on a box of matches (“clicking”) - “teke, teke, teke...”, and the second is the creaking of a knife on a sharpener (“skirping” or “turning”) - “di-dzi-dz-dzi-dzie...”. Clicking can last for several minutes, while sharpening lasts only 2-3 seconds. Among the capercaillie of the North-West, the song occasionally begins with a sound similar to the pop of a champagne bottle. Capercaillie They fly to the current in the morning, their voice - a dull “buk-buk” - is heard very rarely.

Wood grouse habitat

Capercaillie inhabit both coniferous and mixed forests. Among coniferous trees they prefer pine forests. In summer capercaillie Found singly, in winter - in small flocks.

Distributed capercaillie very widely - from Scotland and the Pyrenees in the west to Transbaikalia and the middle reaches of the Lena River. Northern border distribution of capercaillie in Russia it passes along 65-66° northern latitude.

Wintering of wood grouse

In most places capercaillie - almost sedentary bird; During the year he roams in a relatively small area. But at the northern border of distribution in Scandinavia, Karelia, Pechora and the northern part of Siberia - capercaillie Sometimes they make long flights. Flocks of wood grouse spend the winter in places where there is plenty of food for them. Throughout the cold half of the year they feed on pine or cedar needles, occasionally even spruce or juniper; they also willingly swallow green cedar cones, juniper and rowan berries. Spend the night capercaillie or in the crowns of dense trees (spruce, cedar, fir), or, if deep and soft snow has fallen, they bury themselves in it, like black grouse.

Wood grouse food

In summer capercaillie feeds on grass, seeds, berries; in winter - pine needles, aspen and larch buds.

Wood grouse breeding

Nests capercaillie both in coniferous and mixed forests. Among coniferous forests, it prefers pine forests. It nests in swampy pine forests and dry forests, sticking to large areas that are as old as possible. Avoids young forests and open forests.

• Location of the capercaillie nest: the nest is located on the ground
• Nest building material: for lining the nest capercaillie uses stems, branches
• Shape and dimensions of the capercaillie nest: the nest is a small depression in the soil, sparsely lined with individual stems and branches or without them at all. Nest tray diameter exceeds 250mm
• Features of masonry: masonry capercaillie most often from 6-8 eggs yellowish-white with brown spots. Wood grouse eggs are similar in size to chicken eggs
• Timing of nesting of capercaillie: spring mating begins at the end of March and continues until the end of May. From mid-May birds begin to incubate the eggs. In the second half of June, chicks appear. In August, young birds are already quite large in size.
• Economic importance: capercaillie- a valuable hunting species, although commercial numbers have survived only in a few places. Even at the beginning of the 20th century, leks were known in the Moscow region that attracted dozens of birds, and individual capercaillie were found even in Izmailovsky Park. Now closer than 100 km from Moscow wood grouse No. One of the reasons for the disappearance of the capercaillie was the increase in the number of wild boars, which destroy the birds’ nests. In some places, wood grouse are now being bred in captivity for delivery to those places where they have been exterminated.
• U capercaillie In the auditory canal there is a special lobe, or fold, abundantly supplied with blood vessels. During mating, in particular at the moment of skidding, this blade becomes filled with blood and swells so much that when a capercaillie, opening its mouth while singing, presses it with one of the bones of the skull, it completely closes the ear canal
• When meeting a person capercaillie trying to take him away from the brood
• Capercaillie belongs to the valuable game birds. It is caught with a gun on leks, with husky hunting dogs, sometimes on the pebble shallows of rivers, where capercaillie in autumn it flies out in places in large numbers to collect pebbles. In addition, in the fall, capercaillie are also caught using self-catchers - slops and loops

We present you interesting facts about wood grouse.

The wood grouse searches for food mainly on the ground, and if it has to fly, it turns out to be quite difficult for it. This is explained by the weight of the wood grouse, although the female wood grouse weighs much less than the male. Males grow up to 6 kg, and females up to 2 kg. Therefore, females are more nimble, although this bird is considered a little shy and slightly clumsy.

By appearance The male is superior to the female, as he has a very beautiful plumage of black, gray, white, brown feathers. The female capercaillie is small with gray and red plumage.

This coloration of males allows them to compete with each other in choosing a female. They have a very beautiful crop, which shimmers black and green.

The name "grouse" comes from the structure of this bird's auditory system. He loses his hearing only for a while, this happens during the period of mating, that is, during singing, when the capercaillie opens its beak, pressure occurs with one bone of the skull and the ear canal closes. Its deafness comes to the advantage of hunters, since the bird does not hear shots.

In the summer, the capercaillie feeds on green grass, seeds, ripe berries, and in the winter, aspen buds and pine needles. Despite the fact that wood grouse sit in trees, they make nests on the ground from small twigs. The diameter of the nest is 25 cm.

The capercaillie lays up to 8 eggs in a nest; the eggs have brown spots on their surface. She hatches strictly by day and exactly 24 days. Leaves the nest only early in the morning, in the middle of the day and in the evening.

The chicks hatch in mid-June and during the first days of their lives feed on very small insects, such as ants. The chicks also swallow small pebbles so that the stomach can grind the food entering it. They grow very quickly and after a month they are already flying well.

If a capercaillie notices a predator or a person, then it seeks to take it away from its offspring. While the chicks are small, they hide at the first danger under the wing of their mother, and when they grow a little, they hide in the thick and tall grass, in which it is very difficult to find them, even for dogs.

In autumn, first the young males separate from their mother, and then the females. Wood grouse overwinter in small flocks, and during severe frosts they hide in snowdrifts and only come out to eat. Before winter, wood grouse stock up on pebbles, because during this period the food is very hard and rough, and they help the stomach digest food. If the wood grouse does not stock up on such stones, it will die.

Since the capercaillie lives in nature in small numbers, it deserves great interest from people for breeding it in zoos or nature reserves. Such a small number of wood grouse in nature is associated primarily with hunters, and secondly with the placement of nests.

Since the nests are located on the ground, there is a high probability of their destruction by other animals or during forest fires.

Other interesting facts about wood grouse can be found on the Internet.