Wildlifeof China
Hazel Grouse
Pheasants, Partridges & Quails
Photo: (c) Griha Hasanov, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0
Tetrastes bonasia
Basic stats
Habitat
Dense, damp, mixed coniferous woodland, preferably with some spruce
Range
Palearctic from central Europe east to Hokkaido
Clutch size
3–6 eggs
Size
35–39cm
The hazel grouse is one of the smaller grouse, 35–39cm long. The plumage of this plump bird is finely patterned, with grey upperparts, brown wings and chestnut-flecked white underparts. Early twentieth-century English-speaking travellers in Russia called it the 'rabchick' (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is a sedentary species, breeding across the Palearctic from central Europe to Hokkaido in dense, damp, mixed coniferous woodland. Nests are on the ground with a normal clutch of three to six eggs, incubated and cared for by the female alone. The male gives a high-pitched ti-ti-ti-ti call (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Hazel Grouse live in?
- Dense, damp, mixed coniferous woodland, preferably with some spruce
- Where is the Hazel Grouse found?
- Palearctic from central Europe east to Hokkaido
- How many eggs does the Hazel Grouse lay?
- 3–6 eggs
- How big is the Hazel Grouse?
- 35–39cm