Illustration © David Allen Sibley.
Learn more about these drawings.
Text © Kenn Kaufman, adapted from
Lives of North American Birds
Photo: Christian Artuso/Vireo
Ruffed Grouse
Bonasa umbellus
| Family | Pheasants and Grouse |
|---|---|
| Habitat | Deciduous and mixed forests, especially those with scattered clearings and dense undergrowth; overgrown pastures. |
Photo Gallery
Nesting
9-12 pinkish-buff eggs, plain or spotted with dull brown, in a shallow depression lined with leaves and concealed under a bush.
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- All Seasons - Common
- All Seasons - Uncommon
- Breeding - Common
- Breeding - Uncommon
- Winter - Common
- Winter - Uncommon
- Migration - Common
- Migration - Uncommon
Songs and Calls
Female gives soft hen-like clucks. In spring displaying male sits on a log and beats the air with his wings, creating a drumming sound that increases rapidly in tempo.How climate change could affect this bird's range
In the broadest and most detailed study of its kind, Audubon scientists have used hundreds of thousands of citizen-science observations and sophisticated climate models to predict how birds in the U.S. and Canada will react to climate change.
Read more: climate.audubon.org
Each map is a visual guide to where a particular bird species may find the climate conditions it needs to survive in the future. We call this the bird’s “climatic range.”
The colors indicate the season in which the bird may find suitable conditions— blue for winter, yellow for summer (breeding), and green for where they overlap (indicating their presence year-round).
The darker the shaded area, the more likely it is the bird species will find suitable climate conditions to survive there.
The outline of the approximate current range for each season remains fixed in each frame, allowing you to compare how the range will expand, contract, or shift in the future.
The first frame of the animation shows where the bird can find a suitable climate today (based on data from 2000). The next three frames predict where this bird’s suitable climate may shift in the future—one frame each for 2020, 2050, and 2080.
You can play or pause the animation with the orange button in the lower left, or select an individual frame to study by clicking on its year.
Ruffed Grouse In the News More News
Audubon Advisory
Victory! New National Wildlife Refuge Will Protect Imperiled Shrubland Birds
Following an extensive public review process, the U.S.
Birding The States
Birding in West Virginia
Known for its beautiful expanse of the Appalachian Mountains, this state is a great spot to hear warblers, thrushes, and much more.
Birding The States
Birding in Pennsylvania
Visit Pennsylvania's sprawling forest land for birding paradise.
