Watching endangered grouse
Find out how you can watch endangered grouse without harming these wonderful but scarce birds.
This landscape of rolling hillsides and rugged peatland is home to Black Grouse, Curlews and Short-eared Owls.
Birds and wildlife
Black Grouse
Tetrao tetrixGroup: GrouseUK Conservation status:Red
How to identify
The all-black males have distinctive red wattle (bit of skin) over the eye and show a striking white stripe along each wing in flight. They have long, curling tail feathers which are fanned out and raised to show white under-tail feathers when displaying. The smaller grey-brown females have a slightly notched tail. Habitat loss and overgrazing have resulted in a decline in numbers and range, making them a Red List species. Positive habitat management is helping them to increase in some areas. Black Grouse conservation work is supported by The Famous Grouse.Call
Black Grouse
Baltasar Pinheiro / xeno-canto
The spectacular spring mating ritual of the Black Grouse
See the spectacular spring mating ritual of the Black Grouse | RSPB Nature Breaks
Where and when to see them
Black Grouse are found in upland areas of Wales, the Pennines and most of Scotland. Best looked for on farmland and moorland with nearby forestry or scattered trees. They have traditional 'lek' sites where the males display.
Key
- Resident
- Passage
- Summer
- Winter
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
