Ruffed Grouse in Maine

The  Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife made the information on this page possible. Gary C’s Guiding wishes to thank the Department for their cooperation.

RUFFED GROUSE
("PARTRIDGE")
by George Matula
Wildlife Biologist

Physical Characteristics

Ruffed grouse are the most widely distributed game bird in North America. They rank among the smallest of the 10 species of grouse native to North America with weights ranging from 17 to 25 oz. The subspecies that inhabits Maine is the St. Lawrence or Canada ruffed grouse. Plumage of the ruffed grouse is subtly and beautifully marked in a way that blends remarkably with their habitat. Conspicuous markings are the broad black band of the fan-like tail feathers and the patch of dark feathers on both sides of the neck that can be expanded umbrella-like into a ruff. There are two color phases of ruffed grouse, red and gray. The gray phase is predominant in Maine. Ruffed grouse are monomorphic, that is birds of both sexes, and birds that have lost their juvenile plumage, all look alike. The most reliable method of determining sex of a bird is by examining its internal organs. In the field, a rough guess can be made by looking at the relative length of the tail to the body. The female grouse has a tail about as long as her back, whereas the male's tail appears longer than his back.

Natural History

Habitat. Ruffed grouse occur throughout Maine in cover types of hardwood dominated mixed growth, softwood dominated mixed growth, upland hardwoods, lowland hardwoods, old fields, and orchards. Approximately 27,690 square miles of Maine is forestland and is considered grouse habitat, but the quality of the habitat varies widely according to the interspersion of age classes and forest types. Fire can create mixed-age stands of aspen that is considered premier ruffed grouse habitat. Because of the small home range of grouse, good habitat must meet all food, shelter, and drumming requirements within a small area (generally less than 30 acres).

Food habits. Ruffed grouse are omnivorous; they eat green leaves, fruits, and some insects. During winter, when snow covers the ground, they live almost exclusively on the dormant flower buds or catkins of aspens, birches, and cherries. Aspen is generally regarded as the most important single year-round food for ruffed grouse in Maine. Grouse chicks feed on insects, a high protein food that helps them double their weight during their first week of life.

Reproduction. With the onset of spring, male ruffed grouse become aggressively territorial and defend an area of woodland approximately 6-10 acres in size. Male grouse then proceed to "drum" - a territorial display, which also serves to advertise their location to females.

Females are receptive to, and mate with, displaying males for only a few days. After fertilization occurs, they leave the male and seek nesting cover. Most ruffed grouse nests are located at the base of trees in open hardwood stands, although other sites (such as the base of stumps, under slash, bushes, or brush piles) are commonly used. The clutch normally numbers 9 - 14 eggs, which are laid over a period of approximately 2 weeks. The eggs are incubated about 24 days, and all the eggs hatch within a few hours of each other during late May and early June. Young ruffed grouse are precocial (able to move about shortly after hatching); therefore they are capable of moving to brood range (forest openings created by fire, logging, etc.) after only 3 or 4 days. Both eggs and brood are vulnerable to predation by foxes, weasels, skunks, raccoons, hawks, owls, and other predators, including dogs and cats. The hen will try to protect the eggs and young by feigning injury ("broken wing act") or bluffing to draw the predator away. Over a third of the nests may be broken up before the eggs hatched. When the young are about 12 - 14 weeks old, the families begin to break up and general fall dispersal begins.

Longevity. Few grouse in the wild live beyond 3 years, however, an occasional bird can live to be 7 years of age or older in the wild.

Movements. Grouse are generally active during the day, particularly shortly before sunset. They are not active during the night, except drumming males may drum during the night, particularly on moonlit nights. Home ranges of adult females are roughly 30 acres, but become smaller during egg laying, and are smallest when females are incubating eggs. Juvenile females can have home ranges exceeding 100 acres during the winter. The male’s territory is roughly 10 acres, depending on the quality of the habitat and proximity to other male territories. Its territory generally consists of a drumming log, fairly thick cover, and a source of food and water. Once established in its territory, a male may never venture more than 600 - 800 feet from its drumming log the rest of its life. Both young males and females can disperse several miles before finding suitable habitat to set up their home ranges.

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