Sooty Grouse
Dendragapus fuliginosus
Unlike most birds that migrate south or downslope for the winter, the Sooty Grouse performs a 'reverse migration,' moving up into high-elevation pine and fir forests to spend the cold months.
- Scientific name
- Dendragapus fuliginosus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Galliformes › Phasianidae › Dendragapus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Coniferous and mixed forests, particularly Douglas-fir, western hemlock, and true fir forests up to the subalpine zone.
- Diet
- Conifer needles (especially hemlock and fir in winter), berries, seeds, flowers, and insects.
- Range
- United States (Pacific Northwest, California, Alaska), Canada (British Columbia, Yukon)
- Size
- 43-53 cm (17-21 inches) in length, weighing 750-1300 grams
- Lifespan
- Up to 11 years in the wild
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss and fragmentation due to logging, climate change altering subalpine forest structures, and increased wildfire frequency.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Keep a respectful distance of at least 15 feet, especially during spring when males are actively displaying or when females are with chicks. If startled, they may flush with a loud, sudden wing-clap; remain calm as they are not aggressive. No medical action is needed unless you trip while startled.
The sooty grouse ( Dendragapus fuliginosus ) is a species of forest-dwelling grouse native to North America's Pacific Coast Ranges. It is closely related to the dusky grouse ( Dendragapus obscurus ), and the two were previously considered a single species, the blue grouse.
Photo: Nigel Voaden, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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