Latin Etymology: Lagopus ("ptarmigan") scotius ("of scotland")
Adult female Willow Grouse (subspecies L. l. scotia - the Red Grouse) at the Cheviot Hills, Northumbria - July 2009
Featured Subspecies: Lagopus lagopus scotia
Weight: 430-810g / Length: 35-44cm / Wingspan: 60-65cm
Weight: 430-810g / Length: 35-44cm / Wingspan: 60-65cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern
The Red Grouse is the British race of the willow grouse, and is strongly associated with upland moors and heath., In some ways it is a species which through no fault of it's own causes a lot of hassle for others. The Hen Harrier particularly suffers because gamekeepers protecting this species see it as a threat to their livelihood, with illegal shootings and poisons being an enormous problem for those birds. That being said, the Red Grouse remains by far the most common and easily seen of the grouse in the UK and a good days walking in suitable hills where it lives should yield some results a few times. For many years it was regarded as a subspecies of the Willow Ptarmigan but has as of 2025 been recognised as its own species.
Related Species:
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Genus: Lagopus
Subspecies: L. l. scotica, L. l. hibernica
- Sighting Locations -
UNITED KINGDOM - A locally fairly common resident,population artificially high due to releases for shooting (230,000 pairs)
- Birds seen near Keswick and in the Cheviots
No comments:
Post a Comment