Sooty grouse

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Sooty grouse
Dendragapus fuliginosus 5058.JPG
Male
Dendragapus fuliginosus 5523.JPG
Female
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Dendragapus
Species:
D. fuliginosus
Binomial name
Dendragapus fuliginosus
(Ridgway, 1873)
Dendragapus fuliginosus map.svg

The sooty grouse (Dendragapus fuliginosus) is a species of forest-dwelling grouse native to North America's Pacific Coast Ranges. [2] [3] It is closely related to the dusky grouse (Dendragapus obscurus), and the two were previously considered a single species, the blue grouse. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Description

Adults have a long square tail, light gray at the end. Adult males are mainly dark with a yellow throat air sac surrounded by white, and a yellow wattle over the eye during display. Adult females are mottled brown with dark brown and white marks on the underparts. [3] Females have longer skinnier necks than males. The males have stouter bodies than the females.

Distribution and habitat

Their breeding habitat is the edges of conifer and mixed forests in mountainous regions of western North America, from southeastern Alaska and Yukon south to California. [3] Their range is closely associated with that of various conifers. They thrive in old forests because they need diverse plants and trees. Regenerated logged or burned areas also attract the sooty grouse as long as there are plenty of bushes and shrubs to nest in. The nest is a scrape on the ground concealed under a shrub or log.

Grouse mountain, a mountain that acts as the peak of Vancouver, Canada gets its name from the infamous blue grouse that lives on the mountain. The first hikers that reached the top of the mountain hunted the birds so they honored them by naming the mountain after them. This name is also attributed to the large population of the sooty grouse found on the mountain.

Sooty grouse male and female Sooty Grouse Mosaic.jpg
Sooty grouse male and female

Migration

They are permanent residents but move short distances by foot and short flights to denser forest areas in winter, with the odd habit of moving to higher altitudes in winter. [2] The birds move from relatively open breeding areas in autumn to deep coniferous forests in the winter.

Taxonomy

The sooty grouse has four recognized subspecies: [5]

Diet

These birds forage on the ground, or in trees in winter. In winter, they mainly eat fir and douglas-fir needles, occasionally also hemlock and pine needles; in summer, other green plants ( Pteridium , Salix ), berries ( Gaultheria , Mahonia , Rubus , Vaccinium ), and insects (particularly ants, beetles, grasshoppers) are more important. In winter, they are capable of surviving on fir needles alone. In Spring, they enjoy a diet that consists more of berries, leaves, and flowers. Chicks are almost entirely dependent on insect food for their first ten days. [2] Like many birds, the sooty grouse eat grit and tiny stones. This helps them grind up food in the gizzard.

Breeding

Males sing with deep hoots on their territory and make short flapping flights to attract females. The sound sounds like someone is hitting a deep but quiet drum. The Males typically make these calls from high in the trees. Females leave the male's territory after mating. A female will then build her nest on the ground in a shallow hole protected by the covering of bushes or logs. She will then lay around 5 to 10 eggs. These eggs are well camouflaged due to their creamy base color with speckled brown spots.

Conservation

Sooty grouse are experiencing some population decline from habitat loss at the southern end of their range in southern California. [2] The status of the Sooty Grouse is now classified as at risk. Currently, the species is of low conservation concern, but if a decline in old-growth forests persists the risk of endangerment will increase.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grouse</span> Tribe of birds

Grouse are a group of birds from the order Galliformes, in the family Phasianidae. Grouse are presently assigned to the tribe Tetraonini, a classification supported by mitochondrial DNA sequence studies, and applied by the American Ornithologists' Union, ITIS, International Ornithological Congress, and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conifer</span> Group of cone-bearing seed plants

Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta, also known as Coniferophyta or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All extant conifers are perennial woody plants with secondary growth. The great majority are trees, though a few are shrubs. Examples include cedars, Douglas-firs, cypresses, firs, junipers, kauri, larches, pines, hemlocks, redwoods, spruces, and yews. As of 2002, Pinophyta contained seven families, 60 to 65 genera, and more than 600 living species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winter wren</span> Species of bird

The winter wren is a very small North American bird and a member of the mainly New World wren family Troglodytidae. The species contained the congeneric Pacific wren of western North America and Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) of Eurasia until they were split in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black grouse</span> Species of bird

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western capercaillie</span> Species of bird

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spruce grouse</span> Species of bird

The spruce grouse, also known as Canada grouse, spruce hen or fool hen, is a medium-sized grouse closely associated with the coniferous boreal forests or taiga of North America. It is the only member of the genus Canachites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain bluebird</span> Species of bird

The mountain bluebird is a migratory small thrush that is found in mountainous districts of western North America. It has a light underbelly and black eyes. Adult males have thin bills and are bright turquoise-blue and somewhat lighter underneath. Adult females have duller blue wings and tail, grey breast, grey crown, throat and back. In fresh fall plumage, the female's throat and breast are tinged with red-orange which is brownish near the flank, contrasting with white tail underparts. Their call is a thin 'few' while their song is a warbled high 'chur chur'. The mountain bluebird is the state bird of Idaho and Nevada. This bird is an omnivore and it can live 6 to 10 years in the wild. It eats spiders, grasshoppers, flies and other insects, and small fruits. The mountain bluebird is a relative of the eastern and western bluebirds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western tanager</span> Species of bird (Piranga ludoviciana)

The western tanager, is a medium-sized American songbird. Formerly placed in the tanager family (Thraupidae), it and other members of its genus are classified in the cardinal family (Cardinalidae). The species's plumage and vocalizations are similar to other members of the cardinal family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown creeper</span> Species of bird

The brown creeper, also known as the American treecreeper, is a small songbird, the only North American member of the treecreeper family Certhiidae.

<i>Dendragapus</i> Genus of birds

The genus Dendragapus contains two closely related species of grouse that have often been treated as a single variable taxon. The two species are the dusky grouse and the sooty grouse. In addition, the spruce grouse and Siberian grouse have been considered part of this genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flammulated owl</span> Species of owl

The flammulated owl is a small migratory North American owl in the family Strigidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Psiloscops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Townsend's warbler</span> Species of bird

Townsend's warbler is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.

<i>Abies concolor</i> Species of conifer tree

Abies concolor, the white fir, concolor fir, or Colorado fir, is a coniferous tree in the pine family Pinaceae. This tree is native to the mountains of western North America, including the Sierra Nevada and southern Rocky Mountains, and into the isolated mountain ranges of southern Arizona, New Mexico, and Northern Mexico. It naturally occurs at elevations between 900 and 3,400 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dusky grouse</span> Species of bird

The dusky grouse is a species of forest-dwelling grouse native to the Rocky Mountains in North America. It is closely related to the sooty grouse, and the two were previously considered a single species, the blue grouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krüper's nuthatch</span> Species of bird

Krüper's nuthatch is a species of bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It is a small to medium-sized nuthatch, measuring 12.5 centimetres (4.9 in) in length. The upperparts are blue-grey, with the front half of the crown black in adults of both sexes, but with a less marked in the female rear. The species has a black or grey eyestripe and a prominent white supercilium. The underparts are blue-grey in males and buff-grey in females, with a large, crescent-shaped rufous pectoral patch. It feeds on insects in the summer and seeds, especially pine seeds, in autumn and winter. Breeding takes place between March and May, and the nest is usually placed in a tree hole. The clutch consists of five to seven eggs, incubated by the female and fed by the male. Both parents take part in feeding the young.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siberian grouse</span> Species of bird

The Siberian grouse, also known as Siberian spruce grouse, Amur grouse, or Asian spruce grouse, is a short, rotund forest-dwelling grouse. A sedentary, non-migratory bird, it is the only member of the genus Falcipennis. The spruce grouse of North America, which physically looks similar, is now placed in the monotypic genus Canachites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern pygmy owl</span> Species of owl

The northern pygmy owl is a small owl native to western North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red tree vole</span> Species of rodent

The red tree vole is a rodent of the Pacific Northwest, found in the US states of Oregon and California. They were formerly known as Phenacomys longicaudus and have also been called the red tree mouse.

<i>Pseudotsuga menziesii <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> menziesii</i> Variety of conifer

Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii, commonly known as Coast Douglas-fir, Pacific Douglas-fir, Oregon pine, or Douglas spruce, is an evergreen conifer native to western North America from west-central British Columbia, Canada southward to central California, United States. In Oregon and Washington its range is continuous from the Cascades crest west to the Pacific Coast Ranges and Pacific Ocean. In California, it is found in the Klamath and California Coast Ranges as far south as the Santa Lucia Mountains with a small stand as far south as the Purisima Hills, Santa Barbara County. In the Sierra Nevada it ranges as far south as the Yosemite region. It occurs from near sea level along the coast to 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) in the California Mountains. Further inland, coast Douglas-fir is replaced by Rocky Mountain or interior Douglas-fir. Interior Douglas-fir intergrades with coast Douglas-fir in the Cascades of northern Washington and southern British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gray hawk</span> Species of raptor

The gray hawk or Mexican goshawk is a smallish raptor found in open country and forest edges. It is sometimes placed in the genus Asturina as Asturina plagiata. The species was split by the American Ornithological Society (AOU) from the gray-lined hawk. The gray hawk is found from Costa Rica north into the southwestern United States.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Dendragapus fuliginosus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22734695A95095286. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22734695A95095286.en . Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Sargatal, J., eds. (1994). Handbook of the Birds of the World 2: 401-402. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona ISBN   84-87334-15-6.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Sibley, D. (2000). The Sibley Guide to Birds . Knopf. pp.  143. ISBN   0-679-45122-6.
  4. Banks, R. C.; Cicero, C.; Dunn, J. L.; Kratter, A. W.; Rasmussen, P. C.; Remsen, J. V. Jr.; Rising, J. D.; Stotz, D. F. (2006). "Forty-seventh Supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds" (PDF). The Auk. 123 (3): 926–936. doi: 10.1642/0004-8038(2006)123[926:FSTTAO]2.0.CO;2 . Retrieved 2007-09-16.
  5. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Pheasants, partridges, francolins". IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 13 October 2021.