Scientific Name:   Bonasa umbellus

Length:   15.8-19.7 in (40-50 cm)

Weight:   15.9-26.5 oz (450-750 g)

Wingspan:   19.7-25.2 in (50-64 cm)

Nest:   A hollowed-out depression in leaves on the forest floor, reaching up to 6 inches across and 3 inches deep. Females build the bowl-shaped nest and typically line the bowl with vegetation that they pluck from the edge of the nest site.

Eggs:   9-12 pinkish-buff eggs, plain or spotted with dull brown, in a shallow depression lined with leaves and concealed under a bush.

Feeding Behavior:   They feed almost exclusively on vegetation, including leaves, buds, and fruits of ferns, shrubs, and woody plants. In fall, soft fruits and acorns become an important part of the diet. In winter, birds in the south forage on leaves and fruit of greenbrier, mountain laurel, Christmas fern, and other green plants. The ruffed grouse spends most of its time quietly on the ground.

Young:   Although insects and other invertebrates make up only a small part of the adult grouse’s diet, chicks 2 to 4 weeks old depend on this protein-rich prey.

Range:   There range consists of forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is the most widely distributed game bird in North America, and is non-migratory.

Brief Description:   They have two distinct types: grey and brown. In the grey type, the head, neck, and back are grey-brown; the breast is light with barring. There is much white on the underside and flanks. Overall, the birds have a patched appearance; the throat is often distinctly lighter. The tail is essentially the same brownish grey, with regular barring and a broad black band near the end