Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 15.4–15.7 in
39–40 cm - Wingspan
- 22.4 in
57 cm - Weight
- 14.1–22.9 oz
400–650 g
Other Names
- Tétras du Canada (French)
Cool Facts
- Two distinct subspecies of Spruce Grouse exist. "Franklin's Grouse," D. c. franklinii, found in the southwestern portion of the range, in the mountains from Alberta southward, has an all black tail with small white spots on the feathers overlying it. The northeastern subspecies, D. c. canadensis, has a rufous tip to the tail and lacks white spots above the tail.
- The Spruce Grouse's crop can store up to ten percent of the bird's body weight in food, to be digested at night.
- The Spruce Grouse's gastrointestinal organs change with seasonal shifts in diet. In winter, when the bird must eat more food to maintain its mass and energy balance, the gizzard grows by about 75 percent, and other sections of the digestive tract increase in length by about 40 percent.
Habitat
Forest
Coniferous forest, including those dominated by dense stands of spruce, pine, or fir.
Food
Plants
Mostly pine and spruce needles; some invertebrates in summer.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 4–6 eggs
- Egg Description
- Olive with variable spots.
- Condition at Hatching
- Downy and able to follow mother.
Nest Description
A depression in the ground, lined with conifer needles and feathers. Site always has overhead cover, often at the base of a tree.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Foliage Gleaner
Territorial displays include fanning and sweeping of the tail, and wing claps. Unlike some other North American grouse, the Spruce Grouse does not have throat-sacs that inflate during displays. Forages in trees and on the ground.
Conservation
Least Concern
Habitat loss leads directly to the dramatic reduction or elimination of Spruce Grouse populations. Spruce Grouse have historically inhabited forests showing a fire-related patchwork of various stages of regeneration; timber harvesting can produce similar patterns, but only if clear-cut areas are small and if sufficient quantities of optimal habitat are preserved. Listed as "endangered" or "threatened" in some states at the edge of its range.
Credits
- Boag, D. A. and M. A. Schroeder. 1992. Spruce Grouse (Dendragapus canadensis). In The Birds of North America, No. 5 (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, DC: The American Ornithologists' Union.