Bonasa umbellus
Length: 15-19 Weight: 1-1.5 lbs
Identification:
Mostly brown or red with intricate barring and spotting of black and white. Tail orangish with a broad black stripe near the tip.
Distribution:
Resident across norther United States and Canada to Alaska.
Cool Facts:
Ruffed Grouse are hard to spot, but males are known for their loud drumming display that can be heard up to a quarter mile away. The birds do not drum on anything but air, moving their wings back and forth rapidly enough to create a vacuum and a booming sound.
The toes of the Ruffed Grouse grow comb-like projections in winter that may act like snowshoes.
The Ruffed Grouse was described by Aldo Leopold as essential to the character of northern woods in autumn, and was the impetus for some of the first regulations on game bird hunting.
Make your own bird cookies!
References:
Bird on the Move 