| Caucasian grouse | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Genus: | Lyrurus |
| Species: | L. mlokosiewiczi |
| Binomial name | |
| Lyrurus mlokosiewiczi (Taczanowski, 1875) | |
| Synonyms | |
Tetrao mlokosiewiczi | |
The Caucasian grouse or Caucasian black grouse (Lyrurus mlokosiewiczi) is a large bird in the grouse family. It is closely related to the black grouse (L. tetrix).
As with many gamebirds, the cock (male) is larger than the hen (female), measuring 50–55 cm compared to her length of 37–42 cm. The cock is very distinctive, with all-black plumage, apart from red eyebrows, and a long, deeply forked tail. The female Caucasian grouse is grey with dark barring, and has a cackling call. [2]
It occurs in extreme southeastern Europe and adjacent regions. The scientific name of this bird commemorates the Polish naturalist Ludwik Mlokosiewicz. The Caucasian grouse is a sedentary species, breeding in the Caucasus and Pontic Mountains of northeast Turkey and Iran on open slopes with low Rhododendron or other scrubs but in proximity to deciduous broad-leaf forest.
They have a group display or lek in May and June. Unlike the male Eurasian black grouse, the Caucasian grouse display is almost mute but for a thin whistling of the cock fluttering his wings as he leaps and turns in the air, producing a flash of white as the underwing feathers are briefly revealed. [2] The hen lays up to ten eggs in a ground scrape and takes all responsibility for nesting and caring for the chicks, as is typical with gamebirds.
It is perhaps the least-studied of all grouse in the world, and it was formerly classified as Data Deficient by the IUCN. [1] [3] Recent research shows that it is declining to some extent, and it is consequently listed as a Near Threatened species in 2008 [4] with an estimated population of 30,203–63,034 worldwide in 2010. Conservation efforts have included encouraging ecotourism as a way to promote awareness of the bird and its habitat. [5]
The black grouse, also known as northern black grouse, Eurasian black grouse, blackgame or blackcock, is a large game bird in the grouse family. It is a sedentary species, spanning across the Palearctic in moorland and steppe habitat when breeding, often near wooded areas. They will spend the winter perched in dense forests, feeding almost exclusively on the needles of conifers. The black grouse is one of two species of grouse in the genus Lyrurus, the other being the lesser-known Caucasian grouse.
The western capercaillie, also known as the Eurasian capercaillie, wood grouse, heather cock, cock-of-the-woods, or simply capercaillie, is a heavy member of the grouse family and the largest of all extant grouse species. The heaviest-known specimen, recorded in captivity, had a weight of 7.2 kilograms. Found across Europe and the Palearctic, this primarily-ground-dwelling forest grouse is renowned for its courtship display. The bird shows extreme sexual dimorphism, with males nearly twice the size of females. The global population is listed as "least concern" under the IUCN, although the populations of central Europe are declining and fragmented, or possibly extirpated.
The green pheasant, also known as the Japanese green pheasant, is an omnivorous bird native to the Japanese archipelago, to which it is endemic. Some taxonomic authorities consider it a subspecies of the common pheasant, Phasianus colchicus. It is the national bird of Japan.
The white eared pheasant, also known as Dolan’s eared pheasant or Bee's pheasant, is a species of "eared pheasant" that get its name because its colouration is white and has the prominent ear tufts of the genus, not because it has white ears. The indigenous people of Himalaya call it shagga, meaning snow fowl. This gregarious bird lives in large flocks, foraging on alpine meadows close to or above the snowline throughout the year. C. crossoptilon is found in China, Qinghai, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet, where it tends to inhabit mixed forests and can be found around Buddhist monasteries.
The koklass pheasant is a species of gamebird, being closely related to progenitive grouse that lived during the Miocene. They are distantly related to pheasants and are most closely related to grouse and turkeys. Koklass are the only species in the monotypic genus Pucrasia. Both the words koklass and pucrasia have been onomatopœically derived from the bird's territorial call.
The hazel grouse, sometimes called the hazel hen, is one of the smaller members of the grouse family of birds. It is a sedentary species, breeding across the Palearctic as far east as Hokkaido, and as far west as eastern and central Europe, in dense, damp, mixed coniferous woodland, preferably with some spruce. The bird is sometimes referred to as "rabchick" by early 20th century English speaking travellers to Russia.
The four-banded sandgrouse is a medium-sized bird in the sandgrouse family.
Edwards's pheasant is a bird of the pheasant family Phasianidae and is endemic to the seasonal tropical forests of central Vietnam. It is named after the French ornithologist Alphonse Milne-Edwards and first described to science in 1896. The bird's length is 58–65 centimetres (23–26 in) and has red legs and facial skin. The male is mainly blue-black with a crest, and the female is a drab brown bird. The alarm call is a puk!-puk!-puk!.
The snowcocks or snowfowl are a group of bird species in the genus Tetraogallus of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are ground-nesting birds that breed in the mountain ranges of southern Eurasia from the Caucasus to the Himalayas and western China. Some of the species have been introduced into the United States. Snowcocks feed mainly on plant material.
The Caucasian snowcock is a snowcock in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds.
The Caspian snowcock is a snowcock in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds.
The see-see partridge is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds.
The crested partridge also known as the crested wood partridge, roul-roul, red-crowned wood partridge, green wood quail or green wood partridge is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It is the only member of the genus Rollulus.
The Daurian partridge, also known as steppe partridge, Asian grey partridge or bearded partridge, is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes. Its name derives from the Dauria region of Russia, which forms part of their distribution.
Salvadori's pheasant is a landfowl bird of genus Lophura, native to Indonesia. It is found in the mountain rainforests of Sumatra. Thus it is also known as the Sumatran pheasant. The Hoogerwerf's pheasant is usually thought to be a subspecies. This bird was first described in 1879 by the Italian ornithologist Tommaso Salvadori. The species name inornata means "without ornament".
The Chinese monal or Chinese impeyan is a pheasant. This monal is restricted to mountains of central China. The plumage is highly iridescent. The male has a large drooping purple crest, a metallic green head, blue bare skin around the eyes, a reddish gold mantle, bluish green feathers and black underparts. The female is dark brown with white on its throat.
The Bornean peacock-pheasant is a medium-sized pheasant. It is probably the rarest and certainly the least known of all peacock-pheasants. This elusive bird is endemic to lowland forests of Borneo.
The black guineafowl is a member of the guineafowl bird family. It occurs in humid forests in Central Africa. It is a medium-sized black bird with a bare, pink head and upper neck. Little is known of its behaviour.
The Hainan partridge is a species of bird in the family Phasianidae. It is endemic to Hainan Island, China. Its natural habitats are primary evergreen forests. It is threatened by habitat loss and has been assessed as a vulnerable species.
Sage-grouse are grouse belonging to the bird genus Centrocercus. The genus includes two species: the Gunnison grouse and the greater sage-grouse. These birds are distributed throughout large portions of the north-central and Western United States, as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classified the C. minimus species as endangered in 2020 and C. urophasianus as near threatened in 2016.
