grouse

The Carpenter Bird Early one June, I was walking quietly along a forested path, when suddenly, coming down the path towards me, fast, was this brown creature down low to the ground, making a high-pitched scream like I had never heard before. I jumped backwards and shook the jacket I was holding in its direction, like a matador before a charging bull. I imagined that it was a rabid raccoon. I didn’t run, but my legs were shaking! It abruptly turned aside and went up into a thick cover of ferns, all the while making this weird noise. It was no raccoon, I finally realized--it was a grouse.

Once I recognized it as a grouse, I slowly backed up the trail and sat still. Soon, it quieted down and started gently clucking. At this signal, a flock of chicks too numerous to count, but probably about 12 or 15, came out of the brush along the trail and climbed the bank towards her.

Her charge, accompanied as it was by her extended wings, lowered head, and erected, fully-spread tail feathers was an effective surprise. Had I been a dog or fox, I think I would have run. This small bird was willing to attack an animal (me) many times her size; it would be equivalent to me charging a lion. I wonder if my charge would be as effective!

Other birds also bluff their way through encounters with predators as they attempt to protect their chicks. Small birds will dive-bomb snakes or larger birds that threaten their nests. Still others will feign a broken wing, leading the predators away from their concealed brood by tempting the predator with what appears to be an easy meal. The charging grouse, however, is probably the most spectacular of all.

The ruffed grouse is the only grouse in the Appalachians, but western states have several others. The ruff, for which the bird is named, is a group of feathers around the neck that the male fluffs up during his courtship of the female.

Both eastern and western species of grouse are famous for their courtship displays. I’m never quite sure whether my neighbors are trying to start up an old tractor or a male ruffed grouse is trying to win the heart of a female, but each spring I hear a low thumping permeating the forest. It is not loud, but can carry up to a mile away. The male ruffed grouse beats his wings to produce this sound. Native Americans called him “carpenter bird” because they thought he beat his wings on a log. He often does stand on a log during his display, but only beats his cupped wings against the air. In addition to attracting females, it is also used as a territorial defense, so while it is most often heard in spring, it can be heard anytime during the year.

If you’re hiking in the forest and hear an old car starting up just around the next bend, don’t be surprised if a grouse takes flight instead. And should you be charged by a brown demon, remember that it is only a mother grouse protecting her brood. Give her some room and you might even get to see the chicks!