From Opus

Falcipennis canadensis

Male. Photo by ronjames4_

Female. Photo by Gary Clark.
Location: Gaspesie NP, Quebec, Canada

[edit] Identification

40cm. Long square black tail, brown at the end. Grey with a black breast with white bars, a black throat and a red patch over the eye. Adult females are mottled brown with dark and white bars on the underparts.

[edit] Distribution

Alaska, Canada and United States.

[edit] Taxonomy

Two distinct subspecies of Spruce Grouse exist. "Franklin's Grouse," 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, canadensis, has a rufous tip to the tail and lacks white spots above the tail.

This species has in the past been placed in genus Dendragapus or in genus Canachites.

[edit] Habitat

Boreal forest and taiga.

[edit] Behaviour

The diet includes conifer needles in the winter; in summer, they also eat berries, green plants, and some insects. They eat pebbles, to help their gizzard digest their food.

[edit] External Links