Spruce Grouse - Sierra Club BC
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Spruce Grouse

CAN BE FOUND IN:

Spruce Grouse

Canachites canadensis 

Appearance

Male spruce grouse are brown, have a black patch on their breast, and have a black and white tail. They often have a red skin patch above the eye. Females are mottled brown. The average length of a spruce grouse is 33 centimetres. 

Range & Habitat

They are common in spruce and subalpine forests. They like trees more than other grouse and will immediately fly into one if they sense danger. Spruce grouse don’t migrate. 

Reciprocal relationships

Spruce grouse are unique beings who like to live in coniferous forests. Their diet mostly consists of spruce and pine needles, which is quite unusual for animals. They will also dine on berries, seeds, mushrooms, ferns, and insects.  

Spruce grouse are unique in that they like to live in regenerating forests. As birds, they play an important part in the restoration of ecosystems after fires or insect infestations. By eating berries and seeds, they spread these seeds to new areas, increasing the young plant population.  

The males will hoot to attract a female. They nest in mid-spring, using a hidden nest on the ground. Females lay seven or eight eggs that will hatch in 24 days. The chicks leave the nest right away to feed and can fly after one week. They are an easy target for hunters, since they fly into trees at eye level when startled. 

Status

COSEWIC: Not at Risk 
CDC: Yellow 

More Information

If you belong to a First Nation with a story or piece of information not represented here and you would like to share more about this species, please email us at education@sierraclub.bc.ca.   

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