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Red grouse
The red grouse (Lagopus scotica) is a medium-sized bird of the grouse family which is found in heather moorland in Great Britain and Ireland.
It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) but is now considered to be a separate species. It is also known as the moorcock, moorfowl or moorbird. Lagopus is derived from Ancient Greek lagos (λαγος), meaning "hare", + pous (πους), "foot", in reference to the feathered feet and toes typical of this cold-adapted genus, and scotica means "of Scotland".
The red grouse is the logo of The Famous Grouse whisky and an animated bird is a character in a series of its advertisements. The red grouse is also the emblem of the journal British Birds.
The red grouse is distinguished from the willow ptarmigan and rock ptarmigan by its reddish brown plumage, rather than the white winter plumage. The tail is black and the legs are white. There are white stripes on the underwings and red crests above the eyes. Females are less reddish than the males and have less prominent crests. Juveniles are duller and lack the red crests.
Birds in Ireland are sometimes thought to be a separate subspecies L. l. hibernica. They are slightly paler than those in Britain and the females have yellower plumage with more finely barred underparts. This may be an adaptation to camouflage them in moorland with more grass and sedge growth and less heather.
It is audially identified by its 'chut!chut!chut!chut!chut!chuttt....' call, or the 'Goback, goback, goback' vocalisation. The wings make a whirring sound when the bird is disturbed from a resting place.
Grouse populations exhibit periodic cycles in which the population peaks to very high densities before crashing and recovering a few years later. The main causative agent of this cyclical pattern is thought to be the parasitic nematode worm Trichostrongylus tenuis. However, V. C. Wynne-Edwards suggests that the primary cause of mortality in grouse populations is homeostasis, which is largely dependent on food availability, and that the 'Grouse disease', due to the parasitic worm Trichostrongylus tenuis is a misdiagnosis of the after-effects of social exclusion.[page needed]
The red grouse is endemic to Ireland and Britain. It evolved in isolation from other subspecies of the willow ptarmigan which are widespread in northern parts of Eurasia and North America.
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Red grouse
The red grouse (Lagopus scotica) is a medium-sized bird of the grouse family which is found in heather moorland in Great Britain and Ireland.
It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) but is now considered to be a separate species. It is also known as the moorcock, moorfowl or moorbird. Lagopus is derived from Ancient Greek lagos (λαγος), meaning "hare", + pous (πους), "foot", in reference to the feathered feet and toes typical of this cold-adapted genus, and scotica means "of Scotland".
The red grouse is the logo of The Famous Grouse whisky and an animated bird is a character in a series of its advertisements. The red grouse is also the emblem of the journal British Birds.
The red grouse is distinguished from the willow ptarmigan and rock ptarmigan by its reddish brown plumage, rather than the white winter plumage. The tail is black and the legs are white. There are white stripes on the underwings and red crests above the eyes. Females are less reddish than the males and have less prominent crests. Juveniles are duller and lack the red crests.
Birds in Ireland are sometimes thought to be a separate subspecies L. l. hibernica. They are slightly paler than those in Britain and the females have yellower plumage with more finely barred underparts. This may be an adaptation to camouflage them in moorland with more grass and sedge growth and less heather.
It is audially identified by its 'chut!chut!chut!chut!chut!chuttt....' call, or the 'Goback, goback, goback' vocalisation. The wings make a whirring sound when the bird is disturbed from a resting place.
Grouse populations exhibit periodic cycles in which the population peaks to very high densities before crashing and recovering a few years later. The main causative agent of this cyclical pattern is thought to be the parasitic nematode worm Trichostrongylus tenuis. However, V. C. Wynne-Edwards suggests that the primary cause of mortality in grouse populations is homeostasis, which is largely dependent on food availability, and that the 'Grouse disease', due to the parasitic worm Trichostrongylus tenuis is a misdiagnosis of the after-effects of social exclusion.[page needed]
The red grouse is endemic to Ireland and Britain. It evolved in isolation from other subspecies of the willow ptarmigan which are widespread in northern parts of Eurasia and North America.