Tetrao tetrix, Nov.2005
Photo: Hans Gasperl

The Black Grouse or Blackgame, Tetrao tetrix, is a large bird in the grouse family. It is a sedentary species, breeding
across northern Eurasia in moorland and bog areas near to woodland, mostly boreal.
The Black Grouse is closely related to the Caucasian Black Grouse.

Black Grouse is a large bird with males being 24–27 centimetres (9.4–11 in) long and weighing 1,000–1,450 grams (2.2–3.2 lb)
and females 21–24 centimetres (8.3–9.4 in) and weighing 750–1,110 grams (1.7–2.4 lb) The cock is very distinctive,
with black plumage, apart from red wattles and a white wingbar, and a lyre-shaped tail, which appears forked in flight.
His song is loud, bubbling and somewhat dove-like.

The female is greyish-brown and has a cackling call. She takes all responsibility for nesting and caring for the chicks,
as is typical with gamebirds.

7 Black grouses (Tetrao tetrix) males displaying on a lek, in the Uppland province of Sweden
Photo: Gagea

Black grouse have a very distinctive and well recorded courtship ritual or game. At dawn in the spring, the males strut around
in a traditional area and display whilst making a highly distinctive mating call. This process is called a lek - the grouse are said
to be lekking. In western Europe these gatherings seldom involve more than 40 birds; in Russia 150 is not uncommon and
200 have been records.


Black Grouse, Lyrurus tetrix, distribution map. Dec. 2007
Author: Vicpeters

Black Grouse can be found across Europe (Swiss-Italian-French Alps specially) from Great Britain (but not Ireland) through Scandinavia and Estonia into Russia. In Eastern Europe they can be found in Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.
There is a population in The Alps, and isolated remnants in Germany, France, Belgium and Holland. It formerly occurred
in Denmark, but the Danish Ornithological Society (DOF) has considered it extinct since 2001.

In heavy snow these birds feed mainly on Birch buds. Glen Quaich, Scotland. Feb.2009
Photo: Steve Garvie

This species is declining in western Europe due to loss of habitat, disturbance, predation by foxes, crows, etc.,
and small populations gradually dying out.

Male black grouse displaying and calling
Green Umbrella Ltd., Bristol
www.arkive.org

Black Grouse in an open-air enclosure at the National Park Bavarian Forest
Photo: Aconcagua



Tetrao parvirostris Svartnebbstorfugl Black-billed Capercaillie
Tetrao tetrix Orrfugl Black Grouse
Tetrao urogallus Storfugl Eurasian Capercaillie
Tetrao mlokosiewiczi Kaukasusorrfugl Caucasian Grouse