Spruce Grouse Animal Information
Spruce Grouse (Falcipennis canadensis) - A.K.A. Fools Hen. As you walk along a brush-choked creek on a cool clear autumn morning, a flutter of wings arises and lands in the treetops above you. They perch calmly, believing their camouflage and height will keep them safe from the big bad wolf below. You feel almost criminal as you fire your gun and watch the last one fall. A guilty pleasure for there will be some fine eating around the campfire tonight. The spruce grouse obtained its nickname fools hen, because of its nature to sit tight in danger, rather than flying away. When comparing the spruce grouse to the ruffed grouse, you will notice they are a little smaller in size and their tail has a gold band across the tip. The color of the male grouse is dark gray with a black breast, white-spotted areas, and a red comb over their eyes. The female grouse is a mottled brown. In the summer, their diets consist of berries, plants and insects. While in the winter there primary food source is conifer needles. The grouse’s digestive sacs increase in size allowing their consumption, and they eat gravel to grind up these needles. The spruce grouse nest on the ground in thick undergrowth during the summer months. During the short winter days, the birds eat and rest in spruce trees. At night they roost under spruce boughs or plunge into the snow for its insulating factor. Their average length is 15 to 19 inches and they weigh an average of 1 to 2 pounds.
