The Spruce grouse (Canachites canadensis) is a medium-sized grouse that lives in coniferous forests of North America. It is one of the most arboreal grouse species, fairly well adapted to perching and moving about in trees.
In general adult males of this species are mainly grey above and black below, with white spots along the side, and a red patch of bare skin over the eye called the "eyebrow comb". Adult females are mottled brown (red morph) or mottled grey (grey morph) with dark and white bars on the underparts. Juveniles resemble females. Females may be confused with Ruffed grouse but they have a dark tail with a pale band at the end (while the reverse is true in ruffed grouse) and they do not erect their crown feathers when alarmed the way ruffed grouse do. Like other grouse, in the fall this species grows "snow shoes" (short lateral extensions, or pectinations) on the toes. This increases the surface area of the toes and helps support the bird on snow and probably grip branches as well. The pectinations are then shed in the spring.
Spruce grouse are found throughout Canada. In the United States, they occur in Alaska, northern New England, the Adirondacks in New York, northern Michigan, northeastern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, and the montane coniferous forests of Montana, Idaho, Maine, Oregon, and Washington. Spruce grouse favor conifer-dominated forests, be they pine, spruce, or fir. In summer they can be found near rich understory of blueberries and other shrub, and in winter they prefer denser stands. Spruce grouse don't migrate. However, in southwestern Alberta, up to 35% of females and 7% of males move several kilometers between summer breeding grounds and wintering sites. Similar movements have also been documented in Alaska and New Brunswick (Canada).
Spruce grouse are solitary birds and in autumn may sometimes gather in small flocks. Both sexes defend their territories from intruders of their sex. Spruce grouse feed mainly in trees but may also search for food on the ground. They prefer to walk on the ground or along tree limbs rather than fly. When approached by a predator, Spruce grouse rely on camouflage and immobility to an amazing degree; for example, letting people approach within a few feet before finally taking flight. Spruce grouse are among the most silent of all grouse, but they nevertheless have a number of calls used to warn of predators, to repel territorial intruders, to maintain brood cohesion, or to elicit brooding. In the subspecies franklinii, territorial males are notable for their wing-clap display. At the end of a short flight through the trees, the wings are brought together over the back so as to produce two sharp claps, loud enough to be heard by the human ear 150 m away. Other non-vocal sounds include soft drumming by territorial males (a sound produced by the beating wings) and a tail-swish and a whoosh produced by the tail feathers in flight.
Spruce grouse are herbivores (folivores, frugivores). In winter they eat conifer needles, clipped directly from the tree. In summer they consume berries, green plants such as blueberry leaves, fungi, and some insects. Spruce grouse also eat clay, grit, or small stones to help their gizzard break down food. Chicks under 1 week old feed on insects and other arthropods, then switch to berries and fungi until the fall, when they start feeding on needles.
Spruce grouse are polygynous meaning that males mate with more than one female during the breeding season. With the start of the mating season, males disperse and advertise a territory that is visited by females for mating. Nesting starts from early May to early July. The female scratches a depression in the ground in a bush or under a low-lying coniferous branch or fallen tree, away from other females and from the males' territories. She then lines the nest with grasses, leaves, and a few feathers. The female lays 4-9 tawny olive or buff, marked with blotches of brown eggs, and incubates them for about 24 days. Chicks are precocial and weigh about 15 g at hatching (0.5 ounces); they walk out of the nest about 8 h after hatching. They are capable of fluttering up from the ground at 1 week of age. The brood stays together and is accompanied by the female, who broods them all night and frequently during the day until the young are 3-5 weeks old. At 70-100 days of age, chicks typically leave the group and become independent. Most females first breed at 1 year of age, but about half the males delay establishing a territory until 2 years.
The species as a whole is not considered threatened at present, however, it is listed as Endangered in New York and Vermont, and Critically Imperiled in Wisconsin according to NatureServe.
According to the All About Birds Resource, the total breeding population of the Spruce grouse is 11 million individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
