Granddad’s Camera
Black grouse, as it appears in the game

No.079 · Birds · Rare

Black grouse

Lyrurus tetrix

A glossy black grouse with a lyre-shaped tail and white under-tail; in spring, males gather at a lek at dawn to strut and 'bubble'.

When to look

February to May, mostly at dawn.

Time of day

Best time
Dawn in April–May at a lek; otherwise hard to find, and best seen from a car or hide.
Where in the game
the Cairngorms (moorland and pine forest)
Size
40–56 cm (males larger)
Wingspan
About 72 cm
Weight
900–1,200 g
Lifespan
Typically about 4 years once breeding (BTO)
Population
About 4,850 males in the UK (BTO, 2016)
Status
Red (Birds of Conservation Concern 5, 2021)

Diet

Blaeberry, heather and birch catkins; insects for chicks.

Habitat

Edges of moorland and open woodland, birch and pine glades.

Breeding

Lek April–May; the female nests on the ground; typically 6–11 eggs, incubated for 25–27 days; chicks fledge in 10–14 days

Field signs

  • A bubbling, dove-like 'roo-kooing' at dawn
  • Flaps and hisses at the lek
  • Females: brown with barred plumage and forked tail
  • Scrapes and droppings on lek ground

Did you know?

  • The male's tail is shaped like a lyre and is shown in a flurry at the lek, while the white under-tail is fanned out.
  • Males gather at leks, where a few dominant males mate with most of the females.
  • BTO reports a significant decline in Scotland between 1995–96 and 2005, while numbers in Wales rose.

Moments worth waiting for

  • Lek display April to May, dawn
    The blackcocks fan their lyre tails, lower their wings and bubble, jumping and clashing on the wet grass at first light.

Photo tip

Book an organised lek visit or use your car as a hide, arriving in the dark and staying put. Use high ISO and a long lens; avoid flash.

Be a good naturalist

Leks are sensitive: do not walk out to a lek or use playback. Observe only from vehicles or a guided hide, and leave before the birds are disturbed.

The law

It can be shot from 20 August to 10 December (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981) and is protected the rest of the year. Lek disturbance is bad practice.

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