Classification
Order — Galliformes.
Family — Phasianidae.
Subfamily — Tetraoninae.
Genus — Tetrao.
Species — Tetrao tetrix.
Habitat
Black grouse can be found across Europe (Swiss-Italian-French Alps specially) from Great Britain (but not Ireland) through Scandinavia and Estonia into Russia. In Eastern Europe they can be found in Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Romania and Ukraine. There is a population in the Alps, and isolated remnants in Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.It formerly occurred in Denmark, but the Danish Ornithological Society (DOF) has considered it extinct since 2001. The species disappeared from Bulgaria in the 19th century.In a depression dug out by the female, lined with straw, dry leaves, pine and spruce twigs with needles, feathers etc. Well concealed, often beneath a tree or bush or among dwarf shrubs.
Outward appearance
Body length: males being around 53 centimetres (21 in) and females approximately 40 cm (16 in).
Wingspan: 76-82 cm.
Weight: 1,000–1,450 g (2.20–3.20 lb) males and females 750–1,110 g (1.65–2.45 lb).
Body plumage: black, apart from red wattles.
Head: bottle green with a small crest and distinctive red wattle. P. c. colchicus and some other races lack a white neck ring. Behind the face are two ear-tufts, that make the pheasant to alert.
Wings: white wingbar.
Tail: lyre-shaped, which appears forked in flight.
Feeding
Free-range guinea fowl will find much of their own food, although a supply of feed gives them a good reason to return to their house. They need extra food in winter, and fresh greens will be appreciated too. They can be fed the same rations as chickens or turkeys, and particularly enjoy corn. A container of fresh water is their only other requirement. Varies seasonally. In summer, buds, shoots and seeds; in autumn, berries and grain; in winter, birch and alder catkins, young pine cones, and buds on deciduous trees.
Features
During the mating season cooing and tuneful babbling calls, which form a continuous chorus when performed by several birds in the same courtship display site. These calls are occasionally interrupted by a loud, harsh whistle.
Breeding
Breeding season occurs in spring, with egg-laying in May-June.
Nest is on the ground, but it also may be situated low in bush. It is hidden among scrub or tall vegetation, between the roots at base of tree, under low vegetation or against a boulder.
It is a shallow depression scraped in the ground and lined with plants and feathers.
Female lays 6 to 11 creamy-white eggs with brown speckles. Incubation lasts about 25 to 27 days. Female leaves the nest three times a day for feeding.
Chicks leave the nest a few days after hatching, and they are able to fly between 15 days and one month of age. They feed on insects.
Female rears them alone.
Diseases
Grouses tend to be hardy birds. Their lifespan averages 15 years up to 25 years. However, they are prone to poultry diseases, such Botulism, Coccidiosis, owl typhoid, erysipelas, fowl cholera, avian tuberculosis, navel ill, crooked toes (young birds), Newcastle disease, eye infections and worms. Regular treatment for worms is recommended. Parasite Control. Proper vitamin and mineral supplementation will build up their resistance and make them less susceptible to these problems.
