What natural zone does the black grouse live in? Teterev (photo): A real dude from the forest-steppe

July 31, 2011 Hunting and fishing

Black grouse - forest and forest-steppe bird... Occupies forest edges, small meadows and hillocks overgrown with bushes. Loves berries and young buds of birch, alder and aspen. Covers a wide range of habitats, including paleoarctic and neoarctic territories.

Black grouse bird: description

Grouse is a large bird with a dense and massive build, small head and short neck. By weight, it can reach six and a half kilograms. It grows in length up to 1.1 meters. It is distinguished from other representatives of the order of chickens by a completely feathered metatarsus and densely feathery nostrils. Most grouse also have feathers on the bases of the fingers. In the area of the eyes of the black grouse there is a bare ring with a fatty red pigment.

The beak is short, convex at the top and thick at the base (its width is usually greater than the height). The nostrils are hidden under small feathers. The wings are short and rounded. The tail is cut out, truncated in shape. Feather legs. The front toes on the paws are connected by a membrane, the rear one has a higher location and is provided with a feathered tarsus. Black grouse are characterized by dimorphism, that is, males differ in plumage color from females, which are the least colorful and more camouflage in color.

Types of black grouse

Today the grouse family consists of 17 species, united in 8 genera, which include:

Bonasa (hazel grouse) - common, collar and Severtsov;
Centrocercus (black grouse) - common sage and Centrocercus minimus;
Dendrapagus (blue grouse), where its species of the same name belongs;
Falcipennis (Siberian grouse) - common and Canadian;
Lagopus (white partridge) - common, white-tailed and tundra;
Lyrurus (black grouse) - Caucasian and black grouse;
Tetrao (wood grouse) - common and stone;
Tympanuchus (meadow grouse) - common meadow and pointed-tailed.

Black grouse habitat

Teterev inhabits the forest-steppe and forest territories of the Eurasian region, starting from the eastern regions of the Pyrenees and ending with the eastern part of Manchuria, therefore it can be found equally often both in Scotland and in Mongolia. The habitat of this bird covers:

the Palaearctic zone (the Caucasian black grouse, stone and common capercaillie, and black grouse live there);
Neoarctic zone (partridge, hazel grouse, Siberian grouse, common and Caucasian black grouse, stone capercaillie).

The Neoarctic region includes the countries of the Old and New Worlds located in a temperate climatic zone - these are North America, Asia and Europe. On the territory of the Russian Federation there are 8 species of black grouse: grouse grouse, hazel grouse, stone and common capercaillie, Caucasian black grouse, kosach, white and tundra partridges.

For the nesting period, the black grouse avoids dense forests with tall stands, choosing lime and aspen forests nearby with burnt areas and extensive clearings, birch forests that alternate with fields of cereal crops, rare small forests and forest edges, where there are always dry places and berry fields.

What does the black grouse eat

Black grouse is mainly a herbivorous bird... They consume animal food at an early age, as chicks, but over time it ceases to be of great importance to them. A special variety of food is observed during spring and summer. Then the black grouse in large volumes eats seeds, flowers, buds, inflorescences, leaves of numerous subshrub and herbaceous plants which vary depending on the geographic region.

V winter time black grouse mainly pecks on shoots, catkins and tree buds- aspen, willow, alder and birch. He also eats "winter" pine cones and juniper berries. But the grouse chicks in the first days of their life need exclusively animal food and eat flies, mosquitoes, cicadas, spiders, bedbugs, ants, caterpillars, beetles and other insects. V digestive system an adult black grouse must necessarily contain small stones that facilitate the digestion of feed, contributing to their grinding.

Black grouse current

Noticeable changes in the behavior of black grouse begin immediately with the onset of the first signs of spring. Black grouse become more active and lively, which directly precedes the onset of the current, which falls on different days of March, based on the geographical region of habitation of these birds.

For grouse grouse, steppe areas are chosen, sometimes 5-6 kilometers distant from the forest, hillocks on flooded meadows covered with shrubby vegetation, forest edges, glades and glades. The places for the current, as a rule, are constant and do not change, so it is easy for hunters to hunt for black grouse by the method of sitting. Among the first, old males appear on them, and after a while young males join them. Stronger individuals of last year participate in the current on a par with an adult bird, while the weak ones stay aside, adhering to the edges of the current.

The grouse song consists of 2 parts. In the first, the birds are located in the trees, from where they give sounds reminiscent of the cooing of pigeons - this is the so-called muttering, which is heard around for two or three kilometers, drowning out the voices of all other birds. In the second part of the song, called chufykaniem, black grouse importantly protrude along the ground, unfolding their tail, swelling their neck and throwing their head back.

Fierce fights begin between males, in which they behave exactly like ordinary roosters, trying to inflict painful blows on each other. The black grouse that left the battlefield is considered the loser. The number of males gathering on the lectern often ranges from several units to tens, or even hundreds of individuals - in those places where a very large number of black grouse live. Females during the current stay on the outskirts of lawns, waiting for the winners, and arrive only at sunset and sunrise.

Black grouse nest

Black grouse nests are arranged in the vicinity of the growing places of forest berries - closer to strawberries, blueberries, drupes, which, when they grow up, feed the young. Places for laying eggs are chosen under the cover of shrub vegetation. Outwardly, the grouse's nest looks like a small depression in the soil, covered with leaves, stems, branches, feathers and moss. The depth of the tray reaches from 4 to 6 centimeters, the diameter is from 16 to 22 centimeters.

In a full clutch, there are 4-14 eggs (more often - 6-8) of a light ocher tone and with dark brownish spots. The number of eggs laid depends on the yield / poor yield of the year: their lower number indicates a lack of feed. Incubation begins immediately after the last egg has been laid. In the southern zones, this period occurs at the beginning of May, in the northern zones - at the end of May and the beginning of June. Interestingly, old females nest earlier than young ones. In case of loss of clutch, they can postpone the second, which is why the incubation time for black grouse is highly stretched and has no clear boundaries.

What did the child want?

If a child 5 (almost 6 years old) took scissors and cut the upholstery on the armchair, then what did he want to say with this (I went to my son's room)? He himself cannot clearly explain why he did it. I also sit ...

Classification

Genus: Black grouse (Lyrurus)

Family: Pheasant

Detachment: Chickens

Class: Birds

Type of: Chordates

Kingdom: Animals

Dimensions: body length of an adult is 50 - 70 cm, wing length 25 - 30 cm, tail length 9 - 11 cm. Bird weight 1000 - 1500 g.

Life Expectancy: 10-11 years old.

In the forest-steppe expanses of Europe and Asia, there is a beautiful bird with very bright plumage - the black grouse.

Despite the fact that black grouse prefer to settle in more closed landscapes with tall trees, these representatives of birds are found even in undergrowth with sparse vegetation.

This type of bird does not only need closed area, respectively, it can be easily found, as well as in the steppe zone.

Also, the habitat of the black grouse has spread to part of northern Africa and Scandinavia, but the local populations are not as numerous as in the vastness of Russia and central Europe.

Black grouse are not migratory birds. They stay for the winter in the same open spaces where they live. Sometimes because of the change external factors, birds have to migrate, but often the flight range is very short.

You can read about which birds fly south in the fall in the article

External description of black grouse

It is simply impossible to confuse the male and female of this bird. Nature has tried to overcome sexual dimorphism in these birds. The roosters of this chicken-like family are very bright.

They are black in color with local blotches of purple or blue tint around the back, neck and upper part of the tail.

Under the wings and tail, the plumage is white, creating an excellent contrast. These white inserts in black grouse color were called "mirrors".

And one more non-bird term is called the tail of the male raised up. White long feathers, rising, look like musical instrument"Lyre".

The superciliary arches of the black grouse rooster are highlighted by thick, bright downy feathers of scarlet color, merging into a crest.

The open tail of the black grouse looks like a lyre

Females of black grouse have more restrained tones in plumage color, resemble or in color. Light buffy with splashes of brown and reddish shades is an excellent disguise for the time when females, sitting in their nests in the ground, incubate clutches with future offspring. They can be easily confused with female wood grouse.

The grouse are distinguished only by the so-called "mirrors", as in males, and they can be noticed only at the time when it takes off. Also on paws in the form of panties and breast of female black grouse white plumage.

Adults have a body length of fifty to seventy centimeters. The weight of an adult bird can reach one and a half kilograms. This applies to males, females are slightly smaller.

Female black grouse

Habitat

The main habitats of the black grouse are often forest, forest-steppe or steppe zones, as already mentioned, of central Europe and Asia. But the mountainous regions of the southern Carpathians, the forests of the Alps and the Ardennes are not deprived of the presence of such a beautiful bird in the diversity of their fauna.

Czech Republic, the Balkans, heath-covered heathlands of the Netherlands, northern Germany, in these places you can also hear black grouse running.

Although the habitat of these birds is wide, the impact of external factors still affected the population of black grouse.

With the development of rapid agricultural activities in the territory of the former Soviet Union, which spread towards Europe, Asia, and also captured most of Siberia, the number of black grouse in these open spaces has significantly decreased.

One of the few species of these birds - the Caucasian Grouse, unfortunately, is even listed in the Red Book. And if ornithologists do not figure out how to remedy the situation, this handsome man can only be seen in zoos or in photos.

Endangered black grouse - Caucasian

Lifestyle

Black grouse, for the most part, like most representatives of their order, lead a terrestrial lifestyle, since the main diet of these birds is plant food. Try to stick to the pack. Their social instincts are very developed, especially in the cold season. Then females and males, as never before, keep close.

In winter, you can see a funny picture. When the ground is covered with snow and there is little food, the black grouse climbs the trees for tasty buds. Holding on to the branches with its paws, the bird, hanging down with its head down, eats the winter delicacy.

And in the evening, when it is full, it dives straight down into a snowdrift, punching a hole on the fly, in which it is warm and spends the whole winter night, and sometimes longer - up to a day.

Black grouse fly out in winter to search for food, according to the observations of ornithologists, no more than twice per daylight, because their entire meager diet consists mainly of birch buds.

Black grouse in winter

Throughout the winter, black grouse keep in mixed flocks, but with the approach of warmth, before the onset of spring, grouse gradually separate from the males. After all, when the first sun warms up and the snow melts, preparations for the current will begin.

And then, flying out on open areas the habitat of the flock, males and females begin to make beautiful sounds, the strength of which increases every day of spring.

Teterev are very constant in choosing a place for a current, we can say that they never change it, which is what hunters use. But nature has awarded this bird with excellent hearing and vision. And the black grouse moves along the ground very quickly and dexterously, rapidly moving away from danger

Interesting! Despite the fact that the grouse prefers to spend most of its life running on the ground, it tries to escape from danger with the help of its wings, starting from the ground is very noisy. At the same time, the start of black grouse from tree branches is absolutely silent.

Flying male black grouse - it rises into the air quite noisily

Reproduction and nesting

Reproduction of black grouse takes place in places chosen for years, only in rare cases the place of the current changes. There is a main current location and several spare options.

In the same place, in the fall, a flock begins to form, which will mate in the spring. All the action takes place in the month of March.

It gathers from ten males on the current, there are no clear lines of division of the territory, but interference in personal space, as a rule, entails aggressive, but not prolonged sparring and fights among males.

Males of black grouse all day in all their glory perform their mating dances and chants, and grouses appear only with the onset of dusk.

The current lasts about twenty days. The right of primacy for mating is given to the old, as well as to the stronger individuals. Black grouse is polygamous. And during the mating season, one male fertilizes several females at once.

Males in the "ring" during the current

After mating, the black grouse have time to twist and nest. As a rule, they build nests in the ground, insulating them with grass, moss, twigs and their own down, since it is during this period that black grouse begin to molt.

Grouse nests are located in close proximity to berry bushes, or even under them - similar behavior has been observed in. This geography will provide the female for some time with food in the form of last year's berries.

The female lays about six to ten eggs and sits on the clutch. Usually black grouse eggs are ocher in color with small, darkish blotches.

Black grouse laying in the nest

During the incubation of future offspring, the grouse leaves the nest to search for food no more than three times a day, since the male does not take part in the process of incubating the eggs.

From the very moment of mating, all the care of the clutch, and then of the chicks, falls on the female black grouse.

During the period when the grouse chick is about to be born, the grouse do not leave the nest at all for twenty hours or more.

Black grouse female incubates clutch

Chicks

In the southern regions of the habitat, the first grouse chicks appear in mid-July. Chicks get out of the egg very quickly.

It takes only a few hours to peck the shell. The grouse chicks born into the world weigh no more than thirty grams. And what is most interesting, they immediately leave the nest.

The nomadic period for the chicks and the female of the black grouse lasts about a month. This period, in addition to plant foods, is included in the diet:

small insects;
larvae;
worms.

Young offspring, even after leaving their mother, are tied to the same territory for some time.

Black grouse chicks have a camouflage color of feathers

Types of black grouse

There are few species of black grouse, and some are even listed as endangered in the Red Book. Ornithologists distinguish several main types of birds.

The sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) has no less striking external features. And it looks, unlike the most common population of Kosach, very graceful and graceful, but at the same time has a formidable appearance.

The fan of his open tail resembles arrows sticking out in different directions. And its size is even more striking. An adult has a body length from thirty centimeters to a meter!

And a bird of this size weighs accordingly - from five hundred grams to six and a half kilograms. It is found, unlike its counterparts, not only on the European and Asian continents. These birds feel great in the latitudes of the forests and steppes of North America.

Sage grouse

The Caucasian black grouse is the very species of these birds that is subject to extinction. Outwardly, the Caucasian relative differs from the black grouse in the shape of the tail.

It is hooked when folded and directed into the ground. Also, there are no "dude" white feathers on it.

This species lives mainly in mountainous areas, but with the arrival of the cold season, it prefers to descend into more vegetated deciduous forests and undergrowth at the foot of the mountains, since there are more chances to feed in winter and hide from predators.

He also differs slightly in his demeanor. While common black grouse gather in flocks during mating, the Caucasian species can afford to perform mating dances with chants alone, like a true mountaineer.

Caucasian black grouse is listed in the Red Data Book due to a significant decrease in the population

Black grouse hunting

As mentioned above, the rapid human activity in the expansion of agricultural fields and farm lands contributed to the decline in the number and the disappearance of some populations of black grouse.

But this is not the only reason for such sad facts.

The pheasant family has always been popular among hunters because of the beauty of the plumage, which in the Middle Ages adorned the toilets of court ladies and gentlemen, as well as delicious meat. Since then and up to the present time, hunters barbarously exterminate this bird.

Knowing that black grouse have a habit of not changing their mating place for years, hunters take advantage of this and sacrilegiously kill birds right during mating.

The destruction of eggs directly in the clutch also strongly affects the population size, since it is not uncommon for the destruction of the black grouse nest by livestock, which is driven to pastures, where female birds incubate their offspring right in the ground.

There is a very high mortality rate among young and only hatched chickens.

Black grouse: A real dude from the forest-steppe

Bird watchers count only a few species of these birds from the pheasant family. Despite the large area of settlement of these birds in such parts of the world as Asia, Europe, Africa and even parts of North America, due to the barbaric human activity, some of the few species are at the extinction line.

Nature never ceases to amaze people with the variety of colors, bizarre shapes and amazing behavior of individual representatives of flora and fauna. Special place birds occupy all this diversity. Voices, habits, appearance many, especially prominent representatives, have long become household names. Everyone knows the nightingale trills, cockfights. Few know what a grouse bird looks like, what it eats, where it lives, in which areas to look and how to find grouse currents.

A variegated, nondescript bird the size of a small chicken is a female black grouse. Larger and brighter with color, from blue with black to green with purple or white - this is the male black grouse. The separation of colors allows a small number of females to choose a pair from a large number of variegated and attractive males.

The sizes of individuals are characteristic of the order of chickens:

females reach a length of just over 40 cm with a weight of up to 1 kg;
males are larger - more than 50 cm in length with a weight of up to 1.5 kg.

From the rest of the chicken, the black grouse is distinguished by a completely feathered metatarsal and densely covered with feathers, nostrils. Most of the grouse representatives also have feathers on the bases of the fingers.

Bird grouse

The unique beauty of males is given by expressive eyebrows of bright red color and a forked tail in the shape of a lyre - on top of black with a purple tint, and on the bottom decorated with snow-white feathers. The discreet coloring of females also has its own difference, expressed by transverse gray, yellow and brown stripes with white feathers on the underside of the tail.

Distinctive features:

short convex beak;
nostrils hidden by feathers;
rounded short wings;
truncated cut tail;
feathered legs;
webbing on the front toes;
dimorphism - the difference between the colors of females and males.

Where does the black grouse live

The geography of the grouse family is represented by both different latitudes and continents. Different kinds birds are found:

in North America - in the vastness of Canada and Alaska;
in Europe - from the British Isles to the Alps and the Ardennes;
in Eurasia - from the Baltics to Ukraine;
in the Kursk and Volgograd regions of Russia;
in the northern part of Baikal and in the Ussuri region.

The bird can be found in the forest-steppe and forest areas, in the Palaearctic and Neoarctic zones. Their habitat is unlimited, as is the number of species and subspecies of birds. These are Caucasian, stone, common, kosach, wood grouse, hazel grouse, grouse, partridge and other representatives of grouse.

During nesting, birds migrate to linden and aspen forests, away from dense forests with tall trees and closer to fumes and clearings, alternating with fields where you can profit from cereals. In the absence of suitable conditions, they can equip nests in birch forests, rare small forests and forest edges, next to dry places and berry fields. Often found on the outskirts of agricultural land and flood meadows. Birch forests are considered the most favorite place, which is why in Germany black grouse are called birch birds.

The diet of the black grouse is as diverse as its habitat. The basis of the diet is forage of plant origin. A variety of berries, seeds, plant buds - the choice and specific species depend on the geographical location of the habitat of each species.

Seasonal changes in diet are also determined by the latitude in which the flock lives. It can be in various combinations birch buds and catkins, wild rose berries, juniper. In the highlands, the winter diet may include young needles and spruce seeds.

The feeding of chicks has its own characteristics. During the growth period, they need protein food, which the grouse abundantly supply to the offspring. Basically, these are the most diverse representatives of insects - grasshoppers, cicadas, flies, beetles, spiders, bugs, ants, caterpillars, mosquitoes. When leaving an early age, animal food loses its importance, and the bird switches to consuming large amounts of seeds, flowers, buds, inflorescences, leaves of shrubs and herbaceous plants.

The diet is based on plant-based feed

In winter, the diet consists of shoots, catkins and tree buds - birch, alder, willow and aspen. Birds also try to get "winter" pine cones and juniper berries.

Important! An obligatory component of the diet of an adult grouse is small stones. They help to facilitate the digestion of feed by grinding into a mushy mass.

With the onset of spring, the behavior of birds changes. They become more active and lively, which testifies to the imminent beginning of the approaching mating season, which is special for black grouse and falls in March. It has its own unique name - current. It combines two meanings - on the one hand, it is the process of choosing partners and the formation of pairs of black grouse and grouse - mating, and on the other hand, the place of mating games - current.

Steppe areas, open areas of forests or flooded meadows, glades, glades and forest edges serve as current fields. Having chosen one place of the current, the birds do not change it - it remains constant. This allows hunters to return from hunting with big amount extraction. The main thing is to know the specific place and just wait for the time in ambush in order to produce a series of accurate hits.

Grousing blackcocks

Old males are the first to appear on the current. Over time, younger individuals catch up with them. Males of last year can participate in the current on an equal footing with adult representatives. The weak have to keep the outskirts of the current, looking at the competition from the sidelines.

The mating begins with the performances of the males. They demonstrate their dignity to the grouse, at first singing peculiar songs reminiscent of muffled muttering, and then move on to dance elements - fluffing their tails, they importantly nurture the ground, making other sounds - chuffing. The show ends with duels of contenders, similar to cockfighting, when opponents try to inflict painful blows on each other. During the battle, the black grouse are so absorbed in action that they do not notice anything around. This makes them easy prey for hunters, who gave the black grouse the nickname - deaf grouse. The player who is the first to leave the battlefield loses. During the current leaking, from two units to two dozen, and sometimes hundreds of males can gather.

By the end of the fights, the black grouse arrive, who meet the winners and leave with them from the current for mating. Females are in no hurry to choose a male, but it is they who have this right, waiting for the determination of the most persistent and strong representative.

All black grouse, regardless of the type and geographic location live in large flocks. The way of life is sedentary. In search of food, or in case of danger, the flock makes flights over rather long (up to 10 kilometers) distances. They fly well, but prefer to spend more time on the ground, where they arrange nesting places.

Usually, the nest is a small indentation lined with old leaves, feathers and moss, interspersed with small twigs. The depth of the tray varies from 4 to 6 centimeters with a diameter of 16 to 22 centimeters. A nest is hiding in a thicket of bushes. The location is chosen near berry places - meadows of blueberries, strawberries, drupes, which will become food for future chicks.

A full clutch contains from 4 to 14 eggs, the average is 6-8 eggs, which have a light ocher tone with brownish blotches. The number of eggs laid by a grouse is affected by the yield of the year. The less the chance to get good food, the fewer eggs there will be. Lack of feed affects not only the number of young animals, but also their health. That is why nature immediately corrects quantitative indicators.

Grouse on the nest

As soon as the female lays the last egg, hatching begins. In the south, this period falls at the beginning of May, in the north - at the end of May or early June. Interesting fact! Old females begin to hatch offspring earlier than young ones. This is due to the fact that if the masonry is lost for any reason, they can have time to postpone and hatch a second one. Thus, the incubation time for black grouse does not have clear terms and boundaries, stretching for a long period.

After mating, males do not participate in the " family life". All responsibilities for nesting, incubation and feeding of chicks fall on the females. The offspring appears in a month, less often - three weeks, after the start of incubation.

The sedentary lifestyle of black grouse and grouse forces them to adapt to survival in the cold season. If you observe the behavior of these birds in winter, it becomes clear their predilection for birch groves - birch "earrings" are a favorite delicacy of black grouse and the basis of their survival in times of famine. A variety of shrub berries that hide under the snow and retain their nutritional properties are also a good addition to the diet.

The second prerequisite for successful winter survival is deep, fluffy snow. If the frosts are moderate, the flock spends almost the whole day in the trees, making, from time to time, small flights to feeding grounds. In the evening, having eaten well, they dive straight from the trees into the snowdrifts, where they settle down for the night. In the most severe winters, when the temperature drops below 20-25 degrees Celsius, black grouse can spend several days in snow shelters. With the arrival of the thaw, both males and females move to trees, where they not only spend the whole day, but also spend the night.

The sedentary lifestyle of black grouse and grouse forces them to adapt to survival in the cold season.

Black grouses living in the highlands, where the winter diet is even more scarce than on the plains, have their own methods of survival. They even adapted to eat young needles and seeds.

The types of black grouse are very diverse. Their attractive weight and taste make birds an object of hunting, and their lifestyle and habits make it easier for hunters to hunt. The predatory and thoughtless extermination of these beautiful birds has put some species on the brink of extinction. To prevent complete extinction, grouse were listed in the Red Book.

The most famous varieties include:

black grouse or field, meadow;
Caucasian;
blue or smoky;
sage (wormwood).

Black grouse

The most famous, due to its wide distribution, is a species of black grouse. It is with him, with his coloring, the characteristic shape of the tail, and the white undertail that amateurs and connoisseurs of the fauna associate the grouse bird breed.

Kosachi can be found in vast areas of steppes, in forest-steppes and forests from the Swiss Alps and Great Britain in the west, to the Ussuri taiga in the east.

Black grouse

For the settlement of the flock, they choose places with open spaces- fields, meadows, large glades, adjacent to copses, bushes, birch and coniferous forests. In summer, open spaces and agricultural land serve as a source of food for them, and shrubs provide a safety zone where you can easily hide from natural enemies(foxes) and hunters.

Caucasian grouse

It got its name from its habitat - this is the territory of the Caucasus and Turkey. Flocks of Caucasian black grouse climb into the highlands (up to 3 km), where they lead a sedentary lifestyle on the slopes overgrown with rhododendrons, junipers, and small islands of birches. To hatch chicks, females descend to 2.5 thousand meters, where they equip nests.

They differ from their close relatives, the braids, only by their miniature size - females do not grow more than 40 cm and do not gain weight above 0.9 kg, and males, respectively, no more than 50 cm and 1.1 kg. Males look more modest - they lack white feathers on the underside of the tail, and the tail itself looks more like a hook curved to the bottom.

Caucasian grouse

Another difference between the Caucasian black grouse is that in the conduct of mating games, it can also mourn alone. This species of black grouse belongs to endangered species and is listed in the Red Book.

Little known, even among professional bird watchers, species. Found in North America south of Alaska and Canada, in the plains and forests in the Rocky Mountains. Includes two very closely related varieties:

smoky - has a color in dark gray tones;
blue - wears blue with green.

The brow of both is orange or red, the undertail is white. Females have a traditionally modest brownish coloration with gray spots and a dark-colored tail.

After spending the spring and summer season among the coniferous forests on the plain, having raised their chicks, the flock goes high into the mountains, where they spend the whole winter.

Black grouse

The largest representatives of the grouse family. They live in the vastness of North America. In length, males reach up to 80 centimeters and weigh about 3 kg. They earned their name, like the Caucasian black grouse, thanks to the habit of settling near the dwarf thickets of wormwood, which are abundant in their habitats - the foothill plains of the Rocky Mountains. The shrub serves them as a natural shelter from enemies and supplies them with food for almost the whole year.

Particularly noteworthy are the external data of wormwood or, as it is also called, sage black grouse. Its original color is difficult to confuse with any other species of grouse.

Although the main colors of the coloring are quite simple - gray, white and brown, their combinations create unique image... The tail feathers of the male, pointed at the ends, form a fan in the open state, which visually resembles the headdress of the American Indians (a crown of feathers). Luxurious white "frill" in front is set off by black spots on the throat, chin and belly of birds. The picture is completed by the bright yellow eyebrows of the males.

Grouse is a noble bird. Most people can only see it in a photo, but remember it, solving a crossword puzzle or leafing through an encyclopedia for children, making a report, reading it to the whole class. The rest of the bird is known more to ornithologists and hunters, who know its price and maximum information about it.

Russian names:

Rooster - black, field, birch, black grouse, polnik
Grouse - polyushka, grouse, killer whale, marakushka, hazel-grouse, polnyushka

It inhabits a significant part of our Motherland and from among the many species of wild chicken birds of Russia, like the hazel grouse, is one of the best objects for both sports and commercial hunting. Hence the great economic importance of this beautiful bird. Grouse hunting is very diverse and exciting, which has made it very popular among hunters in our country.

The boundaries of the distribution of black grouse from west to east are the forest and forest-steppe zone of the European and Asian parts of Russia to the Ussuri region. To the north, it reaches 67-69 ° north latitude, in Siberia - up to 66-68 °, to the south - to the Carpathians, Volyn Polesye, Chernigov, Kursk, Voronezh and northern Saratov regions; common in the region of the Ural and Ilek rivers up to 51 ° north latitude, Turgai - up to 49 ° north latitude, up to Tyshkan (Semirechye), Tien Shan, Chzhungarskiy Alatau, South Dauria and South Ussuri region. This bird is not found at all in Kamchatka, Sakhalin and Crimea. A special species lives in the Caucasus - the Caucasian black grouse.

In the south of the country, the plowing of steppe areas is gradually reducing the number of black grouse. The opposite picture is observed in the north, where, thanks to the planned deforestation, the black grouse is spreading more and more widely. The grouse is a sedentary bird that lives in Russia throughout the year. Movements from area to area are rare and are usually caused by local winter lack of food.

Most typical places grouse stays - deciduous and mixed island forests with clearings, clearings and copses; in large continuous forests, as well as in the taiga, it is much less common.

The grouse most willingly keeps in medium-sized birch forests, alternating with grain fields, often very close to villages. They feed on black grouse, mainly on plant food, and only to a small extent use animal feed.

Grouse is a medium-sized bird, reaching the size of a domestic chicken. The male is usually larger than the female; the average weight of the rooster is 1200 - 1500 g, the grouse - 800 - 1000 g. The adult mowl has black plumage with a blue sheen, red eyebrows above the eyes, black beak, dark brown fingers, have a lateral horn-like comb-like fringe. Underwings and undertail are white. Ponytail with a strong cut; the outer tail feathers are beautifully curved to the side, resembling a lyre.

In an adult grouse, the upper part of the body has a buffy-reddish striping with black-brown shades. The middle of the belly is blackish-buffy with a white pattern. The tail is cut less than that of the male, and does not have the lyre-like curvature of the tail feathers. Young males before the first molt are similar to the female.

Black grouse rise noisily from the ground, fly quickly, often flapping short curved wings.

Sexual maturity in black grouse occurs, apparently, at the age of one year. Being, like chickens, polygamous, they do not split into pairs: during the mating season, one male fertilizes several females; in turn, the grouse mates with several males.

Huddled in large flocks for the winter, by the end of winter, black grouse begin to stay in the areas of future currents and soon split into separate groups: in one we see only males, in the other - females. As soon as the March sun begins to warm up, the black grouse begin to mow. The timing of the emergence of the current to a decisive extent depends on the geographic location of the area and climate, as well as on the timeliness of the onset of spring. Therefore, they cannot be uniform and fluctuate greatly. So, in one of the springs, the beginning of mating was noted: in the Yaroslavl region on March 7; in Pskovskaya on March 12, and in Kaluzhskaya on March 22. By this time, males have greatly swollen eyebrows and more and more belligerent mood towards other roosters is manifested.

Typical places of grouse currents in the middle lane are floor areas, stubble and fallow lands adjacent to a birch grove or mixed forest, forest edges overgrown with rare bushes and trees and large clearings in the middle of the forest, sandy manes among flooded river floodplains, and sometimes a vast moss swamp among large trees, etc. In March, the kosachs sing in the trees, but with the formation of thawed patches they begin to walk on the ground.

In early spring, mating begins shortly before sunrise, at five o'clock in the morning; in April - about four o'clock, by the end of the month - at three o'clock, and in May - at two o'clock in the morning. From the middle of spring, blackies also turn in the evening, from about seven o'clock until sunset. In the midst of the current, the roosters, in good, warm weather, sing until ten o'clock in the morning, after which they fly away one by one to the forest to feed.

Black grouse usually spend the night not far from their currents. Best of all, black grouse spawn in clear, quiet, slightly cold weather.

Grouse first arrive in the area of the current only for two to three hours. Later, from the middle of spring, they appear on the outskirts of the current at dawn, betraying their presence with a clap. The mating process itself usually occurs near the current, but often outside it.

The period of high current takes place in an atmosphere of fierce fights between the prowling roosters. As a rule, adults, strong braids sing in the center of the current, and young people cling to the outskirts of the current. One of the old roosters arrives first and begins to mow. Often, young blackies prefer to sing alone, away from the main current. The poking rooster, although it loses its usual caution at moments of excitement (especially during a fight), continues to hear and see everything around it perfectly.

On average, the duration of the spring mating of black grouse is six to seven weeks, but in late springs it often lasts for two and a half to three months. The first to leave the current are old and adult birds: the roosters huddle in the lining to molt, and the black grouse, having finished the full clutch of eggs, begin to incubate. The mating of young blacklings can be observed in June, and in some cases even in July, but with a much lower intensity. Most of the females sit on eggs in mid-May.

Grouse hunting methods

For a number of centuries, black grouse living in most parts of our country have been one of the most popular objects of purely folk hunting. And this is not surprising. The catch of black grouses, especially in spring, late autumn and winter, is almost not associated with the use of any special equipment that ensures a successful hunt. Success in this business, as a rule, depends on the hunter's knowledge of the habitats, habits and habits of this bird, so important for our economy, and the skillful application of the hunting experience accumulated over many years.

Spring currents hunting

Hunting from a hut. As already noted, from the middle and towards the end of March, black grouse stop their gregarious lifestyle and return to their nesting sites. By this time, in the areas of last year's currents, it is more and more often possible to observe on a sunny morning single roosters, located in the trees on the forest edges. In the normal course of spring, by the end of the month, old blackies begin to mutter on trees, most often on birches. With the appearance of the first thawed patches on the glades, the mowers gather in groups and continue to mourn, descending more and more often to the ground.

The most typical places of grouse currents are outdoor places adjacent to a birch forest, large clearings among a mixed forest, clean moss bogs, and sometimes a steep river bank not flooded with hollow water. Often, the current site is a vast arable land adjacent to a deciduous forest.

Spring hunting, as a rule, is allowed exclusively for Kosach and lasts two to three weeks. By this time, the snow on the fields has almost disappeared, which coincides with the height of the currents. However, it is necessary to prepare for these hunts even before the opening of the season. Already in the first days of April, having established the places of constant mating, hunters in the daytime, when the black grouse do not hold on to the current, install skeletons for future huts at the most probable points of the current. To do this, it is enough to stick five or six twigs or sticks into the snow or into the ground, connecting their ends on top. The skeletons of the huts, set in advance, will not attract the attention of the leaking blackcocks, which will get used to the appearance of new objects on the ground. The best basis for the hut is the bushes and individual trees (fir-tree, juniper) growing on the current tree. It is recommended to set up a hut, if possible, in the western part of the currents, so that the hunter, looking to the east, could quickly look around the kosach that flew to the currents.

In the picture - a hut in a raised bog

Closer to the beginning of the hunt, it is necessary to re-equip the huts, moving them, if necessary, to the points closest to the center of the current. The hut should be made not too high and cumbersome, trying to make it look like one of the neighboring bushes.

As a rule, the outer covering of the hut should blend in with the surrounding vegetation. For example, in a field a hut is covered with hay or brown straw; among young coniferous growth it must be masked with branches of spruce, juniper, etc. Inside the hut it is necessary to put a piece of board brought with you, and on top of it - a high layer of dry hay or straw, especially if the current is located in a lowland. Better yet, use a low folding chair. If the soil is not very wet, you can dig a small hole for the legs in the hut, this will decrease the height of the hut, which will make it even less noticeable.

It must be remembered that lower part The hut must be densely braided with branches so that the black grouse running along the current could not see the hunter sitting in the hut. The upper and middle parts of the hut are only slightly taken up by twigs and branches. In the walls facing the current, it is necessary to make several small holes for observation and shooting. It is useful to designate the distances of a correct shot with a shot (35 m and closer) by sticks stuck into the ground or into the snow.

If separate bushes grow near the hut, which interfere with the time to look at the current roosters, it is better to remove them in advance, without changing, however, the general appearance of the current.

The opening for the entrance to the hut is made in its back and is carefully camouflaged even in between hunts. From time to time, it is necessary to correct the outer covering of the hut by adding fresh branches, it is especially important to replace them in cases where the hut is masked by deciduous species, and in the course of spring the trees surrounding it have already begun to turn green. You should go out for the morning current at night, so that you can sit in a hut an hour before the first glimpses of dawn. It is impossible to wander along the current even in the dark. The fact is that some of the roosters often spend the night near the current and appear on the current before other mows. If the hunter is late and the black grouse has already begun to sing, you should leave without revealing yourself, so as not to disperse the leaking roosters, which often completely abandon the given current.

For an evening hunt, you need to sit in a hut in the daytime, when, having finished the morning mating, the black grouse feed at a distance from the current.

When going on a hunt, you should dress warmly, since a prolonged stay in the hut, especially in the frosty morning dawns, is impossible in light clothes. Keep your feet warm: this requires dry shoes, good footcloths and socks. It is helpful to have a warm hat and woolen gloves.

Even in a spacious hut, it is not recommended to hunt together, since the arrows usually interfere with each other. It goes without saying that, having seated in a hut, one must immediately take the most comfortable position in order to maintain complete silence during the current and, if possible, not turn around. You should not smoke in the hut, especially before dawn.

The current is the first to fly up even after dark. After sitting for a while in silence, he begins to chuff, calling out to the nearest roosters, and soon, singing, opens the current. Black grouses flock to the current very early, sometimes even after dark. However, one should shoot only when the dawn is so high that it will be possible to clearly distinguish a running black grouse: shots at a bird, which is not clearly visible, give a lot of wounded animals, which should not be allowed.

You cannot shoot grouses; it is also impossible to shoot a current, i.e. the black grouse that arrived first, otherwise the whole current will be upset. The most successful is shooting at clearly visible roosters walking at a distance from those sitting in the middle of the current. The normal distance for shooting on a current from a hut is 35 m. Before the end of the current, you should never leave the hut. Wounded animals must be completed immediately to avoid losing them. The shot for this hunt is used depending on the battle of the gun from No. 5 to No. 3.

We must avoid hunting every dawn from the same hut. Frequent shooting in the same place will quickly scare away the bird and upset this current, as a result of which the roosters usually begin to sing in the area of the former currents one by one. It is best, if there are several currents nearby, visit them one by one.

In a number of localities, where black grouse live in open, outdoor places and are little pursued by humans, local hunters use low portable huts, with the help of which the shooter can gradually approach the blackies that are walking outside the shot.

You can buy it (in the picture), or you can make it yourself.

The material for the frame of such a hut is most often a thick, flexible vine, from which three hoops are made: the lower one - up to 1 m in diameter; middle - up to 60 - 70 cm and upper - up to 30 cm. The hoops are fastened together with the help of five to six strong dry sticks up to 1 - 1.2 m each, tied to the hoops with a thin wire.

A thick stick is securely attached to the middle hoop from the inside, which runs across the hut, slightly above the shoulders of the hunter sitting in the hut. Then the frame is braided with a vine, and its outer part is masked under the surrounding background with hay, branches of coniferous trees, etc. After that, loopholes are made, and the portable hut is ready.

Sowing in a hut, the hunter, having waited for dawn, determines the distance to the current birds. If the black grouse is singing outside the shot, he is waiting for a fight. Having chosen the right moment, the hunter, slightly raising himself, raises a cross-stick on his shoulders, and with it the whole hut and takes several steps forward. Having waited for the next manifestation of excitement by the blackies, he gradually approaches them at a distance of a sure shot. You need to move not to the very center of the current, but, as it were, somewhat to the side from it.

Knowledge of black grouse habits and skillful movement of the hut - with stops and without noise - make this interesting hunt, still little described in the literature, quite successful.

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Description

Appearance

A relatively large bird with a small head and short beak. Males look noticeably larger than females - their length is 49-58 cm, weight 1.0-1.4 kg, while similar indicators of females are 40-45 cm and 0.7-1.0 kg, respectively. In color, pronounced sexual dimorphism.

The male is easily recognizable by its shiny black plumage with a purple or green tint on the head, neck, goiter and loins, and bright red eyebrows. The belly in the back is brown, with light tops of feathers; the undertail is contrasting white. Primary flight feathers are dark-brown, with so-called "mirrors" - white spots in the lower half of the first to fifth feathers. Even more mirrors are expressed on the secondary flywheels, where they occupy most of the wing. Tail feathers are black with a purple tint at the tops; the outer tail feathers are strongly bent to the sides, due to which the tail acquires a lyre-like shape.

The female is motley, reddish-brown with transverse gray, dark-yellow and black-brown stripes. Outwardly, it looks like a female capercaillie, but it differs from it in white "mirrors" on the wings and a small notch on the tail. The undertail is white. Young birds, both males and females, have variegated plumage consisting of black-brown, yellow-brown and white stripes and spots.

Voice

Vocalization differs between males and females. Females make quick, cackling sounds "ko-ko-ko", often stretching at the end. The males mutter loudly and for a long time, or in case of approaching danger, they emit a dull cry "chuu-ish". Loud singing of males is most often heard during mating, which in central Russia begins in mid-late March, and in the north of the range in mid-April and continues until summer. During the peak of summer molt (July) and in the middle of winter, birds are usually silent.

Behavior

Usually a land bird, but in the cold season it keeps on trees, where it gets its own food. It moves on the ground like a domestic chicken - it runs fast and takes off almost vertically. The footprint is also similar to that of a chicken, but slightly smaller and shorter stride. It also confidently holds on to trees, moving freely even along thin branches. The flight is fast and energetic - the black grouse can fly up to several tens of kilometers at a time without stopping. Possesses good eyesight and hearing - in case of danger, it quickly takes off and moves away to a long distance. Usually active in the early morning and evening, before sunset. V very coldy feeds once a day, briefly getting out from under the snow.

A public bird - outside the breeding season, especially in winter cold, it keeps in flocks. The size of the flock can vary within wide limits - individual cases of up to 200-300 individuals in one group are known. The groups are usually mixed, less often consisting of some males, very rarely of some females. In winter, flocks tend to stay in trees - usually birches, where they feed on their buds. After dusk, they hide under the snow, forming a tunnel there with a camera at the end. On frosty days at temperatures below -20 ° C, birds are able to spend up to 23 hours a day there, getting out only for feeding. This is how the famous Russian ornithologist and writer Sergei Buturlin describes the diving of braids into the snow:

Possessing excellent hearing, when the snow creaks under the fox's paws or under the skis, the birds quickly break through the snow cover and take off noisily. By the nature of the droppings in the hole left after spending the night, hunters determine whether the bird was disturbed or not - in case of quietly leaving the shelter, the last droppings are always liquid.

Spreading

Area

Distributed in the forest, forest-steppe and part of the steppe zones of Europe and Asia - from the Alps and the British Isles in the west to the Ussuri region and the Korean Peninsula in the east. The boundaries of the area are very vague - depending on the population size and cultural changes in the landscape, it is subject to fluctuations in one direction or another.

Habitat

It settles where woodlands or bushes are combined with open spaces - in small groves, copses, woodlands with an abundance of berries, in the valleys of large rivers, along the edges of upland and transitional bogs, floodplain meadows or agricultural land. It avoids continuous dark forest, however, it is found in extensive clearings or burnt-out areas. Almost throughout its range, it prefers areas with a predominance of birch. Exceptions include marshes and moorlands of Western Europe, as well as bushes in the Ukraine and western Kazakhstan. In the mountains, it most often lives on the upper or lower border of the forest.

Black grouse leads a sedentary or nomadic lifestyle. Seasonal movements are irregular, but in some years they can cover a significant part of the population. Mobility can be associated with both a lack of food in winter, and a significant fluctuation in numbers characteristic of this species - with a frequency of every 4-10 years, the population of these birds can increase sharply.

Reproduction

Like other members of the family, black grouse are polygamous - there are several females for one male. With the beginning of spring, males gather together on the so-called "tokischi" - open places surrounded by forest or thickets of bushes, where the kosach "tok" - behave briskly, mutter, chuff and chase each other. A section of a raised bog, a meadow, a forest clearing, or even a lake covered with ice at the first stage of winter can serve as a current. The number of birds on one lek is usually 10-15 males, some of which move to neighboring areas during the season. At the beginning of spring, when warm weather gives way to frosts, the current can be interrupted due to bad weather and resumes with warming.

The period of active mating falls on the second half of April - the first half of May and lasts approximately two weeks. On the current, each male has its own area, carefully guarding it from other birds; the strongest kosachi occupy the central part of the meadow. Some males spend the night at the site, others arrive there at night. About an hour before dawn, the males begin to chuff - make loud hissing sounds, then go on to mutter. Birds usually move on the ground, but some individuals can climb onto a tree branch. A few minutes after the males, the females arrive at the place, first keeping a little to the side, and then flying to the center of the current, choosing a mate for themselves. At moments of excitement, males whirl in place, stepping from foot to foot, stretching their necks, opening their tail like a fan, jumping up and muttering loudly. The whole process takes 1-1.5 hours, but it lasts unevenly - at times it intensifies, then subsides. At some moments, the males can fly to the sides, but after a few minutes they return to the current again. Conflicts often arise between kosach, during which they chase each other or enter into a fight. The fights of the braids resemble those of a rooster - both rivals approach each other, bend their heads to the ground and, jumping almost vertically, rush at each other. Despite the fierce nature of the fight, the roosters do not inflict wounds on each other. After sunrise, the current quickly dies down and stops. The same process also resumes in the evening, after sunset, but during these hours it is less intense.

After mating on the current, the role of males in the reproduction process completely ends - they do not participate in the arrangement of the nest, or in the incubation of eggs, or in the further upbringing of the offspring. The female arranges a nest not far from the current site, usually at a distance of no more than a kilometer. The nest itself is a small depression in the ground, sparsely lined with last year's grass, leaves, twigs and feathers. Tray diameter - 160-220 mm, depth - 40-60 mm Most often, the nest is located at the edge of the forest under the cover of birch, juniper, nettle thickets, etc. However, sometimes the nest is completely open in a clearing or meadow. Eggs are usually laid in mid-May, and the first chicks hatch in mid to late June. Clutch consists of 5-13 (usually 7-9) eggs of light buffy color with brown or brown spots. Incubation lasts 24-25 days. Brood-type chicks - having hatched, they are covered with thick down and after a few hours they leave the nest, following the female. The first 10 days is the most dangerous period for grouse. At this time, the female is inseparably near the offspring, constantly listening to extraneous sounds - if a predator approaches, she tries to take him aside, pretending to be "wounded" - runs, spreading her wings, jumps over and clucks loudly. Hearing the alarming cry of the mother, the chicks scatter in different directions and sit quietly in the grass until the danger has passed. At the age of 10 days, the goslings begin to flip, and begin to fly in a month.

During the breeding season, males keep separately - singly or in small groups. At this time, they are silent and especially fearful, because due to molting, they temporarily lose their ability to fly.

Nutrition

The diet consists almost entirely of a variety of plant foods. In the spring, when females need protein-rich food for reproduction, cotton grass inflorescences are collected ( Eriophorum), buds of birch, larch, alder; various parts of heather shrubs and grasses such as marsh marigold ( Caltha palustris) or buttercups. In summer and autumn, he eats berries (blueberries, lingonberries, blueberries, cranberries), various parts of herbaceous plants (leaves of clover, aspen, cuffs, blueberries; hawk inflorescences ( Hieracium); cherry fruits, etc.). In areas where grain crops are grown, they feed in the fields, in particular on grains of wheat or millet. In winter, the basis of nutrition is made up of shoots, buds and catkins of birch, and where there is little of it, then parts of others woody plants- depending on the region, it can be Schrenk's spruce needles, juniper needles and berries, larch shoots, young pine cones, willow and alder buds, etc. Chicks, unlike adult birds, at first feed mainly on animal food - insects and other invertebrates, however, their proportion gradually decreases with growth.

Enemies and Limiting Factors

The most dangerous predators for black grouse are foxes, martens, wild boars and goshawks. The common fox often sniffs out black grouses under the snow, where they hide in severe frosts. She, as well as representatives of the weasel family (especially the sable), often hunt for a brood of chickens during the breeding season. Goshawks attack black grouse at any time of the year, especially often in autumn and winter.

Natural predators do not have a significant effect on the change in the number and distribution of black grouse, although over the past decades, their pressure on black grouse has increased significantly. A much greater danger for them is represented by human economic activity - drainage and beautification of heather wastelands, forest plantations, the use of fertilizers in agriculture and cattle grazing in alpine meadows. Only since the 1970s, the distribution of black grouse in Central and Western Europe decreased very sharply, and now its range in this region is broken into small fragments, mainly high in the mountains. The number of birds in populations usually does not exceed 100-200 birds, and only in the Alps can a stable situation be observed. Other anthropogenic negative factors for the spread of birds are also human disturbance (tourism, skiing, picking up mushrooms and berries, etc.), the construction of power lines, and uncontrolled hunting. For example, in Norway alone, collisions with wires kill more than 26,000 birds a year. Long-term cold snaps during the breeding season and warm winters with frequent changes in heat and cold, during which it forms on the snow, are considered natural factors that significantly reduce the number of black grouse. thin film ice - present

Black grouse and man

Hunting

Most often, the following methods of hunting for Kosach are used:

The culture

Teterev left a mark in the cultural heritage of some peoples. For example, in Alpine folk dances, the image of a leaking black grouse is used.

Classification

Various authors distinguish seven or eight subspecies of the black grouse, and only the British subspecies L. tetrix britannicus isolated from others. The main criteria for determining the subspecies are the size of the "mirror" on the wings of males, the distribution of white feathers in the bases of flight feathers and tail feathers (also in males), a different pattern on the throat, chest and belly of females.

The following subspecies are known:

L. tetrix tetrix (Linnaeus, 1758) - northern part of the range;
L. tetrix britannicus Witherby & Lonnberg, 1913 - British Isles;
L. tetrix viridanus (Lorenz, 1891) - Southern Urals, Southern Siberia;
L. tetrix mongolicus (Lonnberg, 1904) - Tien Shan and adjacent areas;
L. tetrix ussuriensis (Kohts, 1911) - Far East, Manchuria, North Korea;
L. tetrix tschusii - Yenisei Valley, Northwestern Altai, Sayan Mountains;
L. tetrix baikalensis (Lorenz, 1911) -