# Dusky Grouse

*Dendragapus obscurus*

Unlike most birds, they perform a 'reverse migration,' moving to higher, harsher elevations during the winter to feed almost exclusively on hemlock and fir needles.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Galliformes › Phasianidae › Dendragapus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** decreasing
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** High-altitude coniferous forests and subalpine meadows.
- **Diet:** Conifer needles (winter), berries, seeds, and insects (summer).
- **Range:** Rocky Mountains, Interior Northwest North America, Utah, Colorado, Idaho
- **Size:** 44-53 cm in length; 750-1300g weight
- **Lifespan:** 3-5 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat fragmentation and loss of mature conifer stands due to logging and climate-induced fire regimes.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and often bold, sometimes allowing humans to approach closely. Maintain a distance of 10-15 feet to avoid stressing the bird. If it flushes, do not pursue.

## About

The dusky grouse ( Dendragapus obscurus ) is a species of forest-dwelling grouse native to the Rocky Mountains in North America. It is closely related to the sooty grouse ( Dendragapus fuliginosus ), and the two were previously considered a single species, the blue grouse.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/32a9bf16-7c8a-4dba-a7a9-4dd6d50c3b67
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1241
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendragapus obscurus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/68525709/medium.jpg (Tuoichen, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.