Grouse
| Grouse | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grouse ( Tympanuchus phasianellus ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Tympanuchus phasianellus | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The tailed grouse ( Tympanuchus phasianellus ) is a species from the pheasant-like family . It occurs exclusively in North America . Six subspecies are distinguished for the species .
Appearance
The tailed chicken reaches a body size of 38 to 48 centimeters. Males weigh around 950 grams. Females have an average weight of 815 grams.
The tailed grouse is a small grouse with a tiered tail. The middle pair of tail feathers is the longest. The beak is brownish horn-colored, the irises are dark brown. In the adult male, the forehead and top of the head are brown. A dark streak runs through the eye. The females are similar to the males, but are smaller and more dull in color. In particular, the drawing of the face and throat are not so clearly contrasting. Fledglings are similar to females, but their tails are less long.
distribution and habitat
The tailed grouse occurs from central Alaska and the Yukon to western Quebec. In the south it reaches the Great Plains . This species is absent in the east of the USA. The species has disappeared in large parts of its original range. This is especially true for the southwest of its historical area of distribution. In Idaho and Utah , the numbers have risen again since the 1980s.
The habitat of the tailed grouse are open landscapes. It occurs in steppes , shrub- steppes , savannahs and forests with very sparse trees.
Way of life
The tail grouse is predominantly a resident bird . However, snowfall can force the species to migrate to more protected habitats locally. The males establish leks in September to October and return to them in April to May. There the males perform their complex courtship movements. These include, among other things, spreading the wings forward, spreading the tail feathers, and running quickly, accompanied by shaking the tail. Males display this courtship behavior for two to four hours in the early morning hours and then search for food until the afternoon hours.
Tailed hens mainly eat plant material and insects. The preferred foods include grasshoppers and crickets. Grouse sometimes show a little shy behavior towards humans and also find themselves on farms and even cities to look for seeds there.
The nest is a flat hollow in the floor. The clutch consists of five to 17 eggs. The female breeds alone. The incubation period is 21 to 24 days.
supporting documents
literature
- Steve Madge , Phil McGowan, and Guy M. Kirwan : Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse. A Guide to the Pheasants, Partridges, Quails, Grouse, Guineafowl, Buttonquails and Sandgrouse of the world. Christopher Helm, London 2002, ISBN 0-7136-3966-0 .
Single receipts
Web links
- Tympanuchus phasianellus in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2013.1. Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2013.