Common name:  Ruffed Grouse

Scientific name:  Bonasa umbellus

Description-ldentification:  16-19 inches long, fan shaped chicken like bird.

Habitat & Range:  Woodland.  Wooded Canada to forests of Central Appalachians.

Feeding:  Wild berries, other fruit, grain and weed seeds

Nesting:  In thick woods and dense cover, female hollows site for nest at the base of the tree, under logs, rock, or root.  The nest is lined with pine needles or leaves mixed with a few grouse feathers.  Lay 9-12 eggs.  One egg laid daily. Eggs speckled with brownish spots. Hens sit on the eggs for 21-24 days.  Male does not stay with one mate.

Voice:  Shy murmur

Other Behaviors:  Drumming that sounds like a motor starting up.  While drumming fans his tail to attract the female.

Folklore:  The genus name Bonasa comes from the Greek word meaning "wild bull."  The drumming sound reminds one of a bellowing bull.
    In the winter they grow tiny horny fringes on its toes that act as snowshoes.
    The Cherokee Indians considered the meat of the grouse to be taboo for a pregnant woman.  They thought it was bad luck because it laid so many eggs and only a few of them hatched.  In some Native American cultures the meat of the grouse was not allowed until they were past child bearing age.
 

Grouse Scat	Mounted Ruffed Grouse