Dendragapus fuliginosus

Went for a 3 mile hike today to reach a known area of cell reception in the backcountry. On my way there I ran into a mama Sooty Grouse and her two chicks grazing in the forest. I followed them casually through the brush for several minutes, trying to photograph the babies, who turned out to be far too skittish to stay put or visible for more than 2 seconds. Mama was much more obliging. At one point she flew up into a tree to get a better view of things, and I nearly lost her. Check out that camouflage! I was amazed by her brilliant adaptive plumage.

The Sooty and the more easterly Dusky Grouse were up until recently considered to be the same species, the Blue Grouse. Differences between the now distinct species are primarily in range and plumage (the male Sooty has orange eyebrows and display feathers, while those of the male Dusky are red). Both species have similar courtship rituals, in which males will puff out brightly colored patches on their throats and give deep booming calls from prominent perches in the forest to attract females. This is somewhat different from other North American grouse species that gather in large groups called leks and display together.

The Sooty Grouse is mostly a ground-dwelling species, nesting on the ground and foraging for insects, berries, and foliage. In winter they migrate to higher elevations (an uncommon habit among birds) and forage exclusively on pine needles. I have a tendency to think of this species as the forest chicken, for it coos and clucks just like a chicken, and seems to have that same vacant yet anxious glare in its eyes at all times.