No.078 · Birds · Common
Red grouse
Lagopus lagopus scotica
A plump, deep-brown moorland bird with red eyebrows that goes 'go-back, go-back' as it bursts from the heather.
When to see a red grouse
All year, mostly at dawn, by day and at dusk.
- J
- F
- M
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- D
Time of day
- Dawn
- Day
- Dusk
- Night
Where to see a red grouse in the UK
- The Cairngorms. Heather moorland around Glenmore, Strathspey and the open hills.
Red grouse facts at a glance
- Best time
- Dawn and dusk, all year; active on calm days. Males call from a rock or post in spring.
- Where in the game
- the Cairngorms (moorland)
- Size
- 37–42 cm
- Wingspan
- 55–66 cm
- Weight
- Around 600–700 g
- Lifespan
- Typically about 2 years once breeding (BTO)
- Population
- About 265,000 pairs in the UK (BTO, 2016), down 27% between 1995 and 2024; densities vary hugely
- Status
- Green (UK Birds of Conservation Concern, BTO)
Diet
Young heather shoots; also berries and insects for chicks.
Habitat
Heather moorland, mostly managed for grouse or grazing.
Breeding
Nests on the ground from April; 6–9 eggs, incubated for 19–25 days; chicks hatch in May–June and fledge in 12–13 days
Field signs
- A rapid, rasping 'go-back, go-back, go-back' call
- Droppings on heather stems
- Whirring wings on flush
- Male perched on rocks calling
Did you know?
- Red grouse are the British and Irish form of the willow grouse, which is white in winter elsewhere in Europe; ours stays brown all year.
- Red grouse eat heather almost exclusively, and their gut is specialised for it.
- The Glorious Twelfth (12 August) is the opening of the grouse-shooting season.
Moments worth waiting for
- Male on his rock
A cock grouse stands on a boulder with red combs swollen, then launches into a low display flight, calling 'go-back go-back'.
Photo tip
Stay in a vehicle or move slowly along tracks; the bird will stay on the ground if you stay low. Shoot early morning when they perch on rocks.
Be a good naturalist
Do not flush birds in the breeding season or approach chicks. Keep to paths during the nesting season (April–July) and keep dogs on a lead.
The law
It is a game bird and can be shot from 12 August to 10 December (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981); its dark-winged race scoticus lives only in Britain and Ireland.
