Tree hens
Photo: Arne Ader
Translation: Liis
Black grouse
| Black grouse | Teder |
It is a native bird species in Estonia since ancient times, and the birds stay here the year round. In summer they keep to the ground, feeding and finding shelter there. After moulting in autumn the black grouse little by little begin finding their food in trees. This makes it possible for them to stay here even with a thick snow cover. Main food in winter is birch catkins and buds. Bare trees don’t provide any shelter, so being together in a group it is easier to watch out for dangers. Black grouse prefer the outskirts of birch or mixed forests, and always smaller copses bordering to open landscapes. You won’t find them deep in a large birch forest. They will of course also search for food on the ground when there is no snow cover, for instance in sprouting corn fields. The groups in winter usually consist of two birds, and birds of the same sex keep together.
The grouse hen is ochre brown, with a speckled plumage; on the wing is a narrow white streak; the tail has a shallow notch and the weight is up to one kilo. Already among the young birds male and female are easy to distinguish by their looks.
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