Bird of the Week 8/24 - 8/28

This week’s bird is the: Western Capercaillie

1. The Western Capercaillie is the largest grouse in the world. The males weigh up to 6.5kg (14 pounds or 1 stone). Females are only half the size of males.

2. These birds live in the far northern reaches of Europe and Asia, from Scotland to the Russian Far East. There are also smaller populations restricted to mountain ranges across Europe.

3. These birds vary their diet throughout the year depending on what is available. In the summer they eat fresh leaves, during the autumn they eat berries, and during the winter they eat delicious pine needles (yum).

4. This species exhibits lekking behavior, a breeding system found in many of this bird’s closest evolutionary relatives. Males jaunt around displaying their very attractive feathers and making very attractive noises. The most competitive males will attract many females to their territories.

5. Being a nice plump grouse is hard if you are trying to not go extinct. In Scotland, this bird was hunted to (local) extinction in the late 1700s. Amazingly, people back then felt bad about it and reintroduced the species to the British Isles in the early 1800s using birds brought over from the mainland. The population initially rebounded, but more recently has been in decline. Conservation efforts are now in place to try to stop a repeat of the last local extinction.

Have an excellent week!