# 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.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/dafb27c7-9878-44ba-9a98-f444ad7fed4c
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/72797
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendragapus fuliginosus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/2970422/medium.jpg (Nigel Voaden, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

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