2 The Ruffed Grouse 



tuk ( Esquimo ) .' Probably the first name given it by the early white 

 men in New England was "wood hen." Today it is commonly called 

 "partridge," "patridge," or "birch partridge" in New England, al- 

 though it is not actually a partridge at all. In the southern Appa- 

 lachians it is referred to as the "pheasant," but it is not a true pheas- 

 ant either." Other names include "mountain pheasant," "fool hen," 

 "drumming pheasant," "wood-pilequarker," "drumming grouse," 

 "drumming partridge," "drummer," "shoulder-knot grouse," "ruffed 

 heath-cock," "moor fowl," "tippet grouse," "carpenter-bird," "white- 

 flesher," "hazel hen," "red-tail," "gray-tail," "silver-tail," and just plain 

 "grouse." 



DESCRIPTION 



Adults. The grouse is a symphony of rich browns, sometimes with 

 a grayish tendency, sometimes rufous, with plump form, medium- 

 proportioned beak, legs and tail, and a neck ruff of varying promi- 

 nence. Length varies from fifteen to nineteen inches, wing spread 

 twenty-two to twenty-five, tail four and one-haff to seven and one- 

 haff, and weight from sixteen to twenty-eight ounces. 



The head is topped with erectile feathers that are raised into a 

 crest when the bird is excited. The crown is crossed with numerous 

 lines or dabs of black and buff that gives the brown ground color a 

 mottled appearance. There is a quite prominent buff eye-line from 

 the base of the beak to the back of the head and a buff chin patch. 

 The ruff feathers, which form a somewhat triangular patch on each 

 side of the neck, are generally black with a green and purple irides- 

 cence. Occasionally on a very reddish bird the ruff is a rich reddish 

 brown. The ruff is carried obscurely beneath the brownish neck 

 feathers until erected into prominence by some excitement. 



The browns of the neck, back, upper wings, and rump have vary- 

 ing patterns composed by the different characters of black, buff, and 

 white. The neck is rather prominently marked with whitish, the back 

 and rump mottled with long, black-edged spots along the feather 



1 1 am indebted to W. L. McAtee of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service for most 

 of the Indian names. 



2 The "true partridges" and the pheasants belong to the family Phasianidae, natives 

 of the Old World. The European ("Hungarian") Partridge (Perdix perdix) and the 

 ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus torquatus) are well established in northern 

 U. S. and parts of Canada. 



