Recently I had a wonderful opportunity to make an audio recording of the Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus). I had slowly and silently snuck up to within 30 feet of an actively drumming male grouse with my audio equipment. While I couldn’t see it very well, I could hear it and more importantly feel its unique drumming. That’s right, I said feel it. Before I could hear it, I could feel the first two or three beats resonating somewhere at the top of my neck near the base of my skull. I could actually feel the “thud, thud, thud” before my ears picked up the sound. It’s a feeling I won’t soon forget.
Each spring, forest all across the northland echoes with the drumming of the male Ruffed Grouse. They will drum all year long, but is much more common in spring. Only male Ruffed Grouse perform this unique mating behavior which is use to attract females and to warn competing males to stay away.
Males will drum from on top of a log, rock or any other perch that is 12-20 inches off the ground. The drumming sound is produced by the bird cupping its wings and using its strong breast muscles to propel its wings so incredibly fast they produce tiny sonic booms. The beating starts out slow and ascends quickly. Each series of drumming last only 5-7 seconds. Contrary to what was once thought, they don’t beat their wings against their chest or the log it’s standing on.
The Ruffed Grouse is a large chicken-like, bird approximately 16-19 inches long. It has a group of black feathers on either side of the neck that extends outward like a fur collar when displaying. These feathers are called the ruff and hence its common name.
The genus name Bonasa is from the Latin bonasum, meaning “bison” (supposedly the drumming sound resembled the pounding of many bison hoofs). Its species name umbellus comes from the Latin, meaning ” parasol”, presumably from the shape of the birds fanned tail or maybe from the raised ruff.
Both sexes have a well-defined crest, which it can raise and lower at will. The crest is a tuft of feathers on top its head similar to a Northern Cardinal. Males have a small orange to red patch of skin just above the eyes, called a comb, which is more evident in spring. They also have long tails they can raise and fan like a turkey
Ruffed Grouse are polygamous. Males will drum to attract as many females in his territory. After a brief sexual encounter the female will make a nest on the ground often at the base of a tree or under a shrub. Nests are usually within a mile of the male’s territory. She will lay one tan egg with brown spots each day until she has a full clutch of 10-12 eggs then she will start to incubate the eggs all at once. If she started incubating right after the first egg was laid the eggs wouldn’t hatch all at the same time. This is very important because the young need to hatch simultaneously. The reason for the simultaneous hatching is, all of the young need to leave the nest within hours after hatching. The young birds are able to fly short distances within two weeks.
All grouse have large feet with four toes. The front three toes are connected by a small amount of webbing (semi-palmate foot). The hind toe is very short and high up on the leg. Feathers cover the legs down to the toes. Grouse also have small finger-like membranes called pectination along each toe. The pectination membranes act like snowshoes helping the grouse walk on top of deep snow.
Until next time…