The Uray City Historical Museum houses several taxidermy mounts that were created in the USSR and represent the fauna of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. This black grouse mount is one of them.
This bird of the Phasianidae family can be found in the forest, forest-steppe and steppe regions of Eurasia. The species can be both sedentary and migratory, spanning the entire habitat range. Black grouse settle near wooded areas, between forests and open clearings, and in the valleys of large rivers.
The bird has a small head and a short beak. Males look noticeably larger than females: they measure up to 58 cm in length and weigh 1.4 kg, while females usually do not exceed 45 cm and 1 kg, respectively. The male is easily recognizable by his fancy black plumage with deep purple or green hues on his head, neck, crop and back, as well as red bare skin above each eye.
The diet of these birds almost entirely consists of a variety of plant foods. Females require a protein and energy-rich food source in the pre-laying period in spring, so they utilize the inflorescences of cotton grass, buds of birch, larch and alder, as well as various parts of ericaceous shrubs and herbs such as buttercups and marsh marigolds.
In summer and autumn, black grouse feed on berries, for example, blueberries, lingonberries, bilberries and cranberries, various parts of herbaceous plants, including leaves of clover, aspen and blueberries. In areas where cereals are grown, black grouse eat grains of wheat or millet they find in the fields.
In winter, the diet of black grouse includes birch twigs, buds and catkins, and if these are lacking, the birds rely on parts of other tree species. Depending on the region, they can favor spruce needles, juniper berries, larch twigs, young pine cones, willow and alder buds.
In contrast to adults, black grouse chicks eat invertebrates (mainly insects). During this time, the amount of insects in the diet declines.
Foxes, martens, wild boars and goshawks are identified as the main predators of black grouse. There are many contributing factors that can lead to significant decline in the number of the species, including prolonged cold snaps during breeding and warm winters with frequent changes of temperature.
This bird of the Phasianidae family can be found in the forest, forest-steppe and steppe regions of Eurasia. The species can be both sedentary and migratory, spanning the entire habitat range. Black grouse settle near wooded areas, between forests and open clearings, and in the valleys of large rivers.
The bird has a small head and a short beak. Males look noticeably larger than females: they measure up to 58 cm in length and weigh 1.4 kg, while females usually do not exceed 45 cm and 1 kg, respectively. The male is easily recognizable by his fancy black plumage with deep purple or green hues on his head, neck, crop and back, as well as red bare skin above each eye.
The diet of these birds almost entirely consists of a variety of plant foods. Females require a protein and energy-rich food source in the pre-laying period in spring, so they utilize the inflorescences of cotton grass, buds of birch, larch and alder, as well as various parts of ericaceous shrubs and herbs such as buttercups and marsh marigolds.
In summer and autumn, black grouse feed on berries, for example, blueberries, lingonberries, bilberries and cranberries, various parts of herbaceous plants, including leaves of clover, aspen and blueberries. In areas where cereals are grown, black grouse eat grains of wheat or millet they find in the fields.
In winter, the diet of black grouse includes birch twigs, buds and catkins, and if these are lacking, the birds rely on parts of other tree species. Depending on the region, they can favor spruce needles, juniper berries, larch twigs, young pine cones, willow and alder buds.
In contrast to adults, black grouse chicks eat invertebrates (mainly insects). During this time, the amount of insects in the diet declines.
Foxes, martens, wild boars and goshawks are identified as the main predators of black grouse. There are many contributing factors that can lead to significant decline in the number of the species, including prolonged cold snaps during breeding and warm winters with frequent changes of temperature.
