Ruffed grouse are found throughout Canada and in 38 of the 49 continental United States. In the east they extend as far south as northern Georgia. In the western states ruffed grouse are found along the western slopes of the Cascades into northern California and in the Rocky Mountains into Wyoming and central Utah. In the central United States isolated populations persist in the Dakotas and as far south as Arkansas. Populations have been introduced into Newfoundland and Nevada.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

Global Range: RESIDENT: central Alaska and most of forested Canada south to northern California, central Idaho, central Utah, western South Dakota, Minnesota, central Arkansas, northern Georgia, and northeastern Virginia; introduced and established in Iowa, Newfoundland, Nevada, and part of Michigan (Godfrey 1966, AOU 1983, Crawford 1986). See Crawford (1986) for a map of distribution by subspecies. Was virtually extirpated from Indiana, Missouri, and Illinois, and populations were greatly reduced in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and parts of Montana, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Reintroduced into Missouri and Indiana. Populations are limited in Illinois, Missouri, Nevada, and South Dakota.

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

The Ruffed Grouse is approximately 18 inches in length. The color is two-toned reddish-brown and spotted on the back, and yellowish with dark bars beneath. The tail has 18 broad feathers, which appear to be half-diamond shaped when spread. The tarsus is partly feathered.

Pearson, 1940.

Average mass: 644 g.

Average basal metabolic rate: 2.3894 W.

Length: 43 cm

Weight: 621 grams

• Terrestrial

The Ruffed Grouse prefers forested areas in rough, cold lands. It also prefers dim and quiet woods, deep thickets, or sheltered swamps. The Ruffed Grouse doesn't like open fields, and will rarely, if never, be found there.

Pearson,1940.

Terrestrial Biomes: forest

Comments: Dense forest with some deciduous trees, in both wet and relatively dry situations from boreal forest (especially early seral stages dominated by aspen) and northern hardwood ecotone to eastern deciduous forest and oak-savanna woodland (AOU 1983). Young forest provides optimum conditions. See Crawford (1986) for additional information on habitat and cover requirements. Nests in forests or woodlands with some deciduous trees. Nest usually at base of tree, bush or stump. Drumming areas and broods usually in areas with high density of woody stems. Broods select habitats with abundant ground cover. In Wisconsin, females nested in areas in which they wintered following natal dispersal (Small and Rusch 1989).

Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Over one-fourth of the Ruffed Grouse's diet is made up of fruit, such as thorn apples, blueberries, strawberries. It also eats wild and cultivated sunflower seeds, birch, poplar, and willow buds. The Christmas Fern is also a special food for the Ruffed Grouse.

Young Ruffed Grouse Chicks are primarily insectivorous, until they are old enough to care fo r themselves.

Birds of America, 1940.

Comments: Young eat mainly insects and spiders. During summer insects may comprise about 30% of diet of adults. Adults also eat many herbaceous plants (especially in spring and summer), seeds, fruits (especially in fall and winter), nuts, flowers, buds, and leaves of trees and shrubs. In many areas, aspen (in boreal region, especially staminate buds and catkins), willow, and/or Rosaceae, or birch, alder, and hazelnut buds and catkins, are important food resources in winter and spring. See Crawford (1986) for further details.

Population densities may fluctuate dramatically. Some populations exhibit an approximately 10-year cycle of abundance. Spring density generally about 2-10/40ha; fall density up to 20-55/ha; densities highest in boreal forest region (Crawford 1986). Good habitats support densities better than 1 breeding male per 8 ha (Atwater and Schnell 1989).

Home range of brood about 6-19 ha, averages about 16 ha (40 acres). In Missouri, mean home range of adult males was 104 ha in fall-winter, 67 ha in spring-summer (Thompson and Fritzell 1989); Crawford 1986 reported examples of male and female home ranges that ranged from 2-12 ha. Mature and some immature males may defend a territory.

In Wisconsin, juvenile females in fall dispersed average of 4.8 km to winter range, males 2.1 km; in other areas dispersal distance often less than 2 km; juvenile males may wander extensively in spring (Small and Rusch 1989).

Usually roosts in small groups in winter. Fox predation often is an important cause of nesting failure. Other important predators include great horned owl and, in north, goshawk. In Alberta, predation by great horned owl declined when snowshoe hares were abundant (Rusch and Keith 1971). Shallow snow cover or icy crust on snow may reduce survival in winter by precluding access to subnivean shelter.

Average lifespan

Status: wild: 102 months.

The Ruffed Grouse is a ground nesting bird. The female lays one egg per day, until her clutch is complete. The average clutch is about 11 eggs. The female sits on the eggs, in the nest, until the eggs hatch, after 23 to 26 days. Fledging occurs after 8 to 10 weeks.

Pearson, 1940, USDA Forest Service 2001.

Average time to hatching: 24 days.

Average eggs per season: 11.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)

Sex: male: 120 days.

Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)

Sex: female: 120 days.

Drumming and mating peak in mid-March in Missouri, early April in Indiana, and late April in Minnesota, early May in far north. The first eggs are laid in April or May, depending on the location (latitude). Clutch size is 4-19 (generally 9-12). Incubation, by female, lasts 23-24 days. Nestlings are precocial, downy; can fly in 10-12 days. Young are tended by female. Broods break up in fall when young about 84 days old; young disperse (Terres 1980), at about 120-125 days in Wisconsin (Small and Rusch 1989). In Alberta, about 50% of young survived from fall to spring (Rusch and Keith 1971). Single-brooded, but females may renest of first nesting attempt is unsuccessful. Sexually mature in one year; uncommonly lives more than 5 years. Cold wet weather in May/June may cause high losses among broods.

The Ruffed Grouse is hunted for sport, but it is far from being endangered. The only real requirement that the Ruffed Grouse needs is a forested region, so this is another animal that could be affected by extensive deforestation.

US Migratory Bird Act: no special status

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Preserve Selection and Design Considerations: A management unit for providing total food and cover needs should be at least 10-16 ha (25-40 acres).

Management Requirements: Healthy populations may be able to withstand a 50% harvest without affecting spring density (Crawford 1986). See Williamson (no date), Crawford (1986), and Atwater and Schnell (1989) for information on habitat management (e.g., cutting, plantings, burning, grazing, etc.).

Some farmers are troubled by these birds, because they are primarily fruit eaters.

Leonard, 1973.

The Ruffed Grouse is hunted for sport, so areas that have very dense populations of the bird benefit from extra tourism during the hunting season

Also, The Ruffed Grouse hatchlings are mainly insectivorous, so the insect populations in some area decrease shortly after the hatching season.

Peterson, 1980.

Comments: The third most heavily harvested galliform in North America; 70% of harvest occurs in Minnesota, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin (Johnsgard 1973).

Comments: Ellsworth et al. (1995) examined phylogenetic relationships among North American grouse based on mtDNA data and found that Falcipennis canadensis is more closely related to Bonasa umbellus (ruffed grouse) than to Dendragapus obscurus (blue grouse), which is allied with Lagopus (ptarmigan) and Tetrao (capercaillie, a European grouse).