Bonasa umbellus ORDER: GALLIFORMES FAMILY: PHASIANIDAE
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern
© Bill Marchel/CLO
Many people's first experience with the Ruffed Grouse is when it explodes from the forest floor in a flurry of wings. Often, it's gone before they can turn around. The grouse's cryptic coloration and slow, deliberate walk make it virtually invisible.
Male drums with wings to produce a series of deep thumping sounds that increase in tempo.