From Opus

Male displaying
Photo by GaryT.
Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, March 2006

Bonasa umbellus

[edit] Identification

40-50cm. Long square brownish tail with barring and a black band near the end, grey-brown head, neck and back, breast is light with barring, ruffs are on the sides of the neck. These birds also have a crest on top of their head, which sometimes lies flat. Both sexes are similarly marked and sized.

[edit] Distribution

Female
Photo by Canadian Farmer
Bancroft, Ontario, Canada, November 2011

Canada and northern United States.

[edit] Taxonomy

Fourteen subspecies are recognized:^[1]

[edit] Habitat

Open areas.

[edit] Behaviour

Females nest on the ground, typically laying 6–8 eggs. The nests occasionally are parasitized by Ring-necked Pheasants or Wild Turkeys that lay eggs in the nests.

The diet includes buds, leaves, berries, seeds, and insects.

[edit] References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2012. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2012. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist

• List of references

[edit] External Links