The ruffed grouse is a chicken-sized bird about 16-20 inches (40-50 cm) in length with a wingspan of 22-25 inches (55.9-63.5 cm).
It has reddish-brown to gray-brown plumage and a short crest on its head. It has barred flanks and a black ruff around its neck. It has a short, pointed bill and a long, square, flat tail.
The ruffed grouse lives in deciduous and mixed forests in areas with trees like poplars, willow, birch, and alders.
In the summer, the ruffed grouse eats seeds and fruits like thorn apples, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries. It also eats insects and small snakes, and frogs.
In the winter, it flies into tree branches and feeds on the buds and catkins of deciduous trees.
The male ruffed grouse attracts mates and defends his territory by drumming. He perches on a drumming post, usually a log, mound, or stone, and cups his wings and beats them against the air. This produces a drumming sound. In fact, the ruffed grouse is sometimes called the drummer. The male puffs out his ruff and fans out his tail in a visual display designed to either attract a mate or warn off an intruder.
The female lays 9-12 eggs at a rate of one egg every day and a half. The nest is in a cup-shaped depression lined with leaves and feathers, usually at the base of a tree, a stump, or under a bush. The female incubates the eggs.
The chicks hatch in about 24-26 days. The chicks are precocial and are hunting for insects shortly after hatching. The female takes care of the hatchlings until they can roost on their own in the trees. They will fledge when they are 10-12 days old and will be independent by the time they are about 16-18 weeks old.
The ruffed grouse has an average lifespan of just one year in the wild. They are threatened by predation, disease, and weather.
In the fall and early winter, young ruffed grouse sometimes crash into windows and buildings in a behavior called “crazy-flight.”
Support for NatureWorks Redesign is provided by:
The ruffed grouse is a year-long resident of New Hampshire. It is more common in the central and northern regions of the state.
Development in the southern part of the state has impacted the habitat of the ruffed grouse.
The ruffed grouse can be found in Alaska and Canada south to California, Wyoming, Minnesota, Missouri, and the Carolinas.
NHPBS inspires one million Granite Staters each month with engaging and trusted local and national programs on-air, online, in classrooms and in communities.
