Western Capercaillie

ID tip

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Western Capercaillie

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 11 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is April, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Western Capercaillie

The map shades 27 countries with regular records, and 3 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 China, Albania, North Macedonia.

About the Western Capercaillie

The western capercaillie, also known as the Eurasian capercaillie, wood grouse, heather cock, cock-of-the-woods, or simply capercaillie, is a heavy member of the grouse tribe and the largest of all extant grouse species. Found across Europe and the Palearctic, this primarily-ground-dwelling forest grouse is renowned for its courtship display. The bird shows extreme sexual dimorphism, with males nearly twice the size of females. The global population is listed as "least concern" under the IUCN, although the populations of central Europe are declining and fragmented, or possibly extirpated.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Black-billed CapercaillieTetrao urogalloidesA male black-billed capercaillie has an average length of about 89–97 cm (35–38 in) and weighs 3.4–4.6 kg (7.5–10.1 lb), with females measuring around 69–75 cm (27–30 in) and weighing 1.7–2.2 kg (3.7–4.9 lb).