Abstract
The Grouse Family, the Tetraonidae, have a long and largely disastrous history in aviculture. Although they are a fascinating group, with some of the most theatrical of breeding displays, they are genuinely "difficult".
The grouse have been widely studied as gamebirds, both in the wild and in captivity. Several species are among the most highly-valued of the world's game. Individually, these species have been examined in some detail and almost all - with the apparent exception of some Central Asian grouse - have been bred in captivity at one time or another. But the Family still awaits the support of a Peter Scott or a Jean Delacour who can see them as an entity, base useful research on an avicultural foundation, provide a clearing house for information, and draw attention to their interesting problems in the field and in the aviary.
Much of the fascination of the Tetraonids lies in the fact that within this comparatively small group of lb species we find a full spectrum of territorial and display behavior. There could hardly be a greater contrast than between the aggressive male Red grouse, who must stake out a territory on the moor or perish of starvation, and the beautiful Blackcock, living in a companionable flock with other males and ritualising all his aggression on the meeting ground of the lek. The Red grouse and his mate look very much alike; the Blackcock and his hen are a very good example of sexual dimorphism and are completely different in plumage form and colour.
Tame. confiding and vocal in captivity, the grouse have, above all, the attraction of their dramatic displays in the breeding season. Some of these include examples of the finest drama in the avian world: drumming, dancing, hooting. coc-ing , whistling, song-flights, plumage displays - the grouse have them all.
They may be difficult to keep and to breed, but the effort is greatly rewarded. Grouse can never be said to be flashy, like some of the more popular pheasants! Grouse grow on you because they have character and because their tameness is not of the aggressive type so often found in pheasants and other gamebirds. Whether you are the kind of bird-breeder who pursues purely scientific aims, or the type who seeks birds with what we might call "personality", the Tetraonids are worth persevering with.
When managing these birds in confinement, one of the main points to be kept in mind is that many of the grouse are specialists. They have developed adaptations which have enabled them to colonize habitats little used by other resident bird species. such as sagebrush and mature pine forest.
The 16 species which make up the Te traonidae are as follows:
Tetrao parvirostris /\ sia
Black-billed capercaillie
Tetrao urogallus Eurasia
Capcrcaillie
Lyrurus mlokosiewiczi Eurasia
Caucasian blackcock
Lyrurur tetrix Eurasia
Black grouse
Lagopus lagopus Circumpolar
Willow grouse (inc. Red grouse)
Lago pus leucurus N. A menca
White-tailed ptarmigan
Lagopus mutus Circumpolar
Rock ptarmigan
Dendrogapus canadensis N. America
Spruce grouse
(syn. Canachites)
Dendrogapus [alcipennis Asia
Sicklcwing grouse
Dendrogapus obscurus N. America
Blue grouse
Bonasa bonasia Eurasia
Hazel grouse
Bonasa sewerzowi Asia
Severtzov's hazel grouse
8011asa umbel/us N. America
Ruffed grouse
Tympanuchus cupido N. America
Prairie chicken
(inc. Lesser & A rtwaters)
Tympanuchus phasianellus N. America
Sharp tailed grouse
Centrocercus urophasianus N. America
Sage grouse
Palearctic: 7 spp.
Nearctic: 7 spp.
Circumpolar: 2 spp.
Apart from taxonomic groupings. the Tetraonidae can be divided into monogamous and promiscuous species, and also into species which have either solo displays or group displays.
Monogamous and solo displaying are Tetrastes and Lagopus. Promiscuous, but with a solo display, are Bonasa and Dendrogapus. Promiscuous, with a group display (of varying degrees of organization) are Tetrao , Lyrurus, Tympanuchus and Centrocercus.
Most of these species have a wide range. Only four species could be said to have a restricted range. These are the Caucasian blackcock, Severtzov's hazel grouse, the White-tailed ptarmigan and the Sickle wing grouse. The Sage grouse has a wide geographic range, but its preference for stands of pure sagebrush greatly limits the available habitat and it may have the most narrow distribution of any North American grouse.
Most gamebirds are the products of "edge" habitats. Several grouse species, however, are able to make use of solid blocks of a dominant plant species such as heather, sage, spruce, or pine. This ability has made the grouse important as gamebirds in areas which do not have a wide selection of game, such as the boreal forest and the upland heaths and tundra. This value has resulted in several species being given the title of "King of Gamebirds" at various times - the crown having been awarded at least to the Red grouse, Ruffed grouse, Sage grouse, Capercaillie , Blackcock, Priarie chicken and the Sharp tail'
Although heavily hunted, none of the grouse appear to be in danger of extinction, other than two sub-species of the Prairie chicken ( one sub-species of this interesting grouse, the Heath hen of the East Coast barrens, is already extinct).
The adaptation of some species to heavy hunting has been gradual. Originally, for example, the Ruffed grouse of the eastern American forests was called "fool hen" because it was so trusting; today it is one of the wariest of all North American gamebirds. On the other hand, the Spruce grouse - also called "fool hen" - is still a trusting bird and survives in numbers only where its boreal forest habitat is largely unhunted by man. Another tame grouse is the White-tailed ptarmigan, which in some places is so approachable that squatting birds can be touched with a stick. And yet its very close relative, the Rock ptarmigan (the Ptarmigan of our own mountains) is anything but tame and flushes with a noisy croaking call when an intruder is several hundred yards away. In this connection, it is interesting that the North American grouse are still tame only where people have not intruded. The Eurasian grouse are tame only where people have intruded so frequently, without causing harm, that they can be ignored. This is noticeable at such places as the summit of the Cairngorm chairlift, in the Scottish Highlands, where Ptarmigan Jive close to large numbers of summer and winter tourists without alarm.
Grouse appear placid in aviaries, but this is deceptive. They are subject to stress and must be treated with care if they are not to suffer from heart-attacks and stress-induced disease.
The problem of disease is considerable with all Tetraonids in aviculture. With modern drugs compounded into the pelleted diet, it should be possible to combat most of these. However, grouse are usually kept in such small numbers that it is not possible to make special pelleted feed available. And the range of drugs which can be introduced via the birds' water is quite restricted (and the water consumption very variable). In practice, the most successful way of combating disease has been to design accommodation which keeps the birds away from infection - particularly from the soil-borne parasitic diseases.