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The red grouse is distinguished from the willow grouse and rock ptarmigan by its reddish brown plumage being present all year, lacking any white winter plumage or white wing feathers. The tail is black and the legs are white. There are white stripes on the underwings and red crests above the eyes. Females are less reddish than the males and have less prominent crests. Juveniles are duller and lack the red crests. Birds in Ireland are sometimes thought to be a separate subspecies L. l. hibernica, but this is not currently accepted as distinct.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
When to see the Red Grouse
One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is April, the month with the most records.
Where to see the Red Grouse
The map shades 2 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.
Recorded as a rare visitor in Sweden.
About the Red Grouse
The red grouse is a medium-sized bird in the grouse tribe which is found in heather moorland in Great Britain and Ireland.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
White-tailed PtarmiganLagopus leucuraThe white-tailed ptarmigan is the smallest of the ptarmigans and the smallest bird in the grouse tribe.
Rock PtarmiganLagopus mutaThe rock ptarmigan is 34–36 cm (13–14 in) long with an 8 cm (3.1 in) tail and with a wingspan of 54–60 cm (21–24 in) and a weight of 440–640 g (15.5–22.6 oz).
Willow PtarmiganLagopus lagopusThe willow ptarmigan is a medium to large, ground-dwelling bird and is the most numerous of the three species of ptarmigan.
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