Black Grouse – Lyrurus tetrix

The black grouse belongs to the family of Phasianidé.

It measures about 60 cm for a weight of 1100-1500 gr.

Its longevity is around 6 years.

The male black grouse has a black plumage with blue highlights. Its wings are brownish-black with a small white bar. The underside of the wings and the tail is white. The tail ends shaped lyre. Its beak and his legs are short. The tail is just forked.

It is found mainly in the Alps, Carpathians, Siberia to the Pacific Ocean, Europe.

It likes mountains and coniferous forests, where it flies up to 2300 meters above sea level. In winter, it sinks into the snow to avoid the cold .It can spend the night and a good part of the day in the shelter if the weather is bad and it saves energy. In summer it sleeps in trees.

The male is known for his acute whistles. Males are polygamous. They parade on relatively small areas, they engage in mock fights in order to ensure their dominance and to remove potential rivals. The female takes care only of incubation for about 25 days of 5 to 11 eggs that are laid in June.

It is mainly vegetarian feeding on leaves, buds, seeds, flowers and shrubs fruits. He completed his diet by eating insects and spiders.