About the Hazel Grouse
The hazel grouse, sometimes called the hazel hen, is one of the smaller members of the grouse tribe of birds. It is a sedentary species, breeding across the Palearctic as far east as Hokkaido, and as far west as eastern and central Europe, in dense, damp, mixed coniferous woodland, preferably with some spruce. The bird is sometimes referred to as "rabchick" by early 20th century English speaking travellers to Russia.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
This is a relatively small grouse at 35–39 cm (14–15 in) length. The plumage of this plump bird is finely patterned, but it essentially has grey upperparts, brown wings and chestnut flecked white underparts. The male has a short erectile crest and a white-bordered black throat. The female has a shorter crest and lacks the black color on the throat. In flight, this species shows a black-tipped grey tail. The male has a high-pitched ti-ti-ti-ti-ti call, and the female a liquid tettettettettet.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Hazel Grouse sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Belgium, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Liechtenstein.
When to see it
Peak activity in May · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Learn the Hazel Grouse for real
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