Bird Album
Ruffed Grouse
Bonasa umbellus (Linnaeus, 1766)
40–50 cmLength531 gWeight
The ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska.
Busiest months: May · Most records: Canada, United States
Where and when it's recorded
Ruffed Grouse has been recorded at 203 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- RNF du Cap-TourmenteCanada4,048 records
- RN du Marais Léon-ProvancherCanada2,845 records
- Beaverhill Bird ObservatoryCanada2,007 records
More places
- Prince Edward Point NWA – Prince Edward Point Bird ObservatoryCanada1,975 records
- Tatlayoko Lake Bird ObservatoryCanada1,789 records
- Teslin Lake – Teslin Lake Bird ObservatoryCanada1,698 records
- Bear BottomsUnited States1,689 records
- Algonquin Provincial Park – Visitor CentreCanada1,454 records
- Presqu'ile Provincial ParkCanada1,275 records
- Prince Edward Point NWACanada1,267 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is the most widely distributed game bird in North America. It is not migratory.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Ruffed Grouse?
The Ruffed Grouse is about 40–50 cm long and weighs around 531 g.
Where does the Ruffed Grouse live?
Its breeding range: North America: Alaska, Canada and northern USA. It is most often recorded in Canada and United States.
When is the best time to see the Ruffed Grouse?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Ruffed Grouse endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Ruffed Grouse as Least Concern.
What does the Ruffed Grouse eat?
Main food: Land plants.
What family is the Ruffed Grouse in?
It belongs to the family Pheasants & Allies (Phasianidae), order Galliformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 40–50 cm
- Weight
- 531 g
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Land plants
- Lifestyle
- Varied
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 183 mm
- Tail
- 152 mm
- Bill
- 25 mm
- Tarsus
- 42 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
North America: Alaska, Canada and northern USA
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Galliformes
- Family
- Pheasants & Allies Phasianidae
- Genus
- Bonasa
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Sichuan PartridgeArborophila rufipectus
Chestnut-breasted PartridgeArborophila mandellii
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Rufous-throated PartridgeArborophila rufogularis
Red-billed PartridgeArborophila rubrirostris
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Mason Corden. ↗
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