The Eurasian capercaillie is the largest bird of the grouse subfamily. Their distinguishing characteristics include their lumbering walk, extreme awkwardness, jittery disposition and noisy flight. These birds find it difficult to fly long distances.
It is easy to tell males and females apart because their sizes and plumage colors differ. The latter are a lot bigger than the former. Depending on the subtype, the length of the male’s body ranges from 74 to 110 centimeters, the wingspan is from 90 cm to 1.4 m, and on average, it weighs from 4.1 to 6.7 kilograms. The heaviest-known specimen in captivity had a recorded weight of 7.2 kg. The color of the male’s plumage is also more striking than that of the female. The feathers on its body are dark grey to dark brown in color and those on its chest are dark metallic green with a black hue. The color of its stomach and lower parts of the body ranges from black to white depending on subtype. The male has a whitish-pink beak. The naked skin around its eyes is a distinct red color.
Eurasian capercaillie have a plant-based diet. They primarily eat only leaves of blueberry plants, berries, certain grasses and fresh sedges shoots in summer time. In autumn the birds eat larch needles. During the winter season, when layers of snow prevent access to ground vegetation, wood grouse spend practically entire days and nights in the trees, eating fir and pine needles as well as buds of beeches and mountain-ashes.
Just like grouse, Eurasian capercaillie swallow stones while eating, which help them grind up and digest food. These birds have adapted to their original habitats, i.e. virgin coniferous forests with a rich variety of plants within and dense ground vegetation. They find shelter on the crowns of young trees. While flying, Eurasian capercaillie take breaks often by gliding for short periods of time.
By and large, they lead solitary lifestyles and prefer not to be surrounded by many other birds. These birds are active in the mornings and evenings, which is when they search for food. Wood grouse rest in the trees during the afternoon. In winter, when temperatures are very low, Eurasian capercaillie can hide in the snow from the cold and stay buried for a couple of days.
During courtship, the male raises and fans out the feathers of its tail, directs its beak upwards and holds out and droops its wings. It then starts performing a typical song to impress its potential partner. Its mating call is a series of double-clicks, resembling the sound of a dropping ping-pong ball, which gradually intensify. These are followed by scraping noises Known predators of wood grouse include Eurasian lynx, grey wolves, martens, brown bears, wild boars and red foxes. However, humans did and still do pose the biggest threat to Eurasian capercaillie. These birds are a typical target for hunters throughout Europe and Asia.
It is easy to tell males and females apart because their sizes and plumage colors differ. The latter are a lot bigger than the former. Depending on the subtype, the length of the male’s body ranges from 74 to 110 centimeters, the wingspan is from 90 cm to 1.4 m, and on average, it weighs from 4.1 to 6.7 kilograms. The heaviest-known specimen in captivity had a recorded weight of 7.2 kg. The color of the male’s plumage is also more striking than that of the female. The feathers on its body are dark grey to dark brown in color and those on its chest are dark metallic green with a black hue. The color of its stomach and lower parts of the body ranges from black to white depending on subtype. The male has a whitish-pink beak. The naked skin around its eyes is a distinct red color.
Eurasian capercaillie have a plant-based diet. They primarily eat only leaves of blueberry plants, berries, certain grasses and fresh sedges shoots in summer time. In autumn the birds eat larch needles. During the winter season, when layers of snow prevent access to ground vegetation, wood grouse spend practically entire days and nights in the trees, eating fir and pine needles as well as buds of beeches and mountain-ashes.
Just like grouse, Eurasian capercaillie swallow stones while eating, which help them grind up and digest food. These birds have adapted to their original habitats, i.e. virgin coniferous forests with a rich variety of plants within and dense ground vegetation. They find shelter on the crowns of young trees. While flying, Eurasian capercaillie take breaks often by gliding for short periods of time.
By and large, they lead solitary lifestyles and prefer not to be surrounded by many other birds. These birds are active in the mornings and evenings, which is when they search for food. Wood grouse rest in the trees during the afternoon. In winter, when temperatures are very low, Eurasian capercaillie can hide in the snow from the cold and stay buried for a couple of days.
During courtship, the male raises and fans out the feathers of its tail, directs its beak upwards and holds out and droops its wings. It then starts performing a typical song to impress its potential partner. Its mating call is a series of double-clicks, resembling the sound of a dropping ping-pong ball, which gradually intensify. These are followed by scraping noises Known predators of wood grouse include Eurasian lynx, grey wolves, martens, brown bears, wild boars and red foxes. However, humans did and still do pose the biggest threat to Eurasian capercaillie. These birds are a typical target for hunters throughout Europe and Asia.
