VIDEO: Busy capercaillie hen
Video Ahto Täpsi
Photo Arne Ader
Translation Liis
Capercaillie hen
Capercaillie; Western capercaillie Metsis or mõtus Tetrao urogallus
Capercaillie hens weigh about 2-3 times less than the large capercaillie cocks with their splendid plumage without protective colours. The body length of the hens is a little over half a meter and the weight around 2 kilos.
The capercaillie hens have a brown plumage all year round, on the chest we can see a large rusty red patch. Around the eye naked skin is visible, both on males and females. The gender characteristics of young birds were noticeable already in early September.
An untrained observer may confuse the hens that are busy at road verges with black grouse hens. In order to identify a capercaillie hen one should see the large rust-coloured chest patch, or the rounded tip of the tail of the same colour. The tail of a black grouse hen is shorter
On the verges of gravelled roads they find enough small pebbles of the right size for grinding food in the crop so that it will be well digested. On forest roads we can meet them most frequently in the Soomaa or Lahemaa national parks, and the Alam – Pedja conservation area around Puhatu, Sirtsi and Leidissoo. They find food on the ground until snow falls; after this they move on to pines: the main food of capercaillies is pine needles, although poor in calories. In the Estonian pine forests about 4000 grouse may stay this winter.
Capercaillies in a road
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