Black grouse  (Tetrao tetrix)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Description

The black grouse, also known as 'blackgame' (4) is one of Britain's most striking gamebirds (5). The male has glossy blue-black plumage, white wing bars, a lyre shaped tail and white under-tail coverts. Females are brown with pale wing bars, and both sexes have red wattles above the eye. Displaying males produce a bubbling pigeon-like rroo-ooo sound known as 'rookooing'(2).

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