May 21, 2010; Mt. Washburn, Yellowstone National Park.
From Wikipedia:Grouse (
/??ra?s/) are a group of birds from the
order Galliformes. They are sometimes considered a
family Tetraonidae, though the
American Ornithologists' Union and many others include grouse as a subfamily
Tetraoninae in the family
Phasianidae. Grouse inhabit temperate and
subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere, from pine forests to moorland and mountainside,
[1] from 83? North (
Rock Ptarmigan in northern
Greenland) to 28? North (
Attwater's Prairie Chicken in
Texas). Presumably they
evolved in this zone.
[2] Grouse are heavily built like other Galliformes such as
chickens. They range in length from 31 cm (12 in) to 95 cm (37 in), in weight from 0.3 kg (11 oz) to 6.5 kg (14 lb). Males are bigger than females?twice as heavy in the Capercaillie, the biggest member of the family. Grouse have
feathered nostrils. Their legs are feathered to the toes, and in winter the toes too have feathers or small scales on the sides, an adaptation for walking on snow and burrowing into it for shelter. Unlike other Galliformes, they have no spurs.
[2]