The Caucasian grouse or Caucasian black grouse (''Lyrurus mlokosiewiczi'') is a large

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

in the

grouse Grouse are a group of birds from the order Galliformes, in the family Phasianidae. Grouse are presently assigned to the tribe Tetraonini (formerly the subfamily Tetraoninae and the family Tetraonidae), a classification supported by mitochondria ...

family. It is closely related to the

black grouse The black grouse (''Lyrurus tetrix''), also known as northern black grouse, Eurasian black grouse, blackgame or blackcock, is a large game bird in the grouse family. It is a sedentary species, spanning across the Palearctic in moorland and step ...

(''L. tetrix'').

Description

As with many

gamebirds Galliformes is an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds that includes turkeys, chickens, quail, and other landfowl. Gallinaceous birds, as they are called, are important in their ecosystems as seed dispersers and predators, and are often ...

, the cock (male) is larger than the hen (female), measuring 50–55 cm compared to her length of 37–42 cm. The cock is very distinctive, with all-black plumage, apart from red eyebrows, and a long, deeply forked tail. The female Caucasian grouse is grey with dark barring, and has a cackling call.Madge ''et al.'' (2002)

Distribution and habitat

It occurs in extreme southeastern

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and adjacent regions. The scientific name of this bird commemorates the Polish naturalist

Ludwik Mlokosiewicz Ludwik () is a Polish given name. Notable people with the name include: * Ludwik Czyżewski, Polish WWII general * Ludwik Fleck (1896–1961), Polish medical doctor and biologist * Ludwik Gintel (1899–1973), Polish-Israeli Olympic soccer player ...

. The Caucasian grouse is a sedentary

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

, breeding in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historica ...

and

Pontic Mountains The Pontic Mountains or Pontic Alps (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Kuzey Anadolu Dağları'', meaning North Anatolian Mountains) form a mountain range in northern Anatolia, Turkey. They are also known as the ''Parhar Mountains'' in the local Turki ...

of northeast

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

and

iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

on open slopes with low ''

Rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; from Ancient Greek ''rhódon'' "rose" and ''déndron'' "tree") is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are nati ...

'' or other scrubs but in proximity to deciduous broad-leaf forest.

Breeding

They have a group display or lek in May and June. Unlike the male Eurasian black grouse, the Caucasian grouse display is almost mute but for a thin whistling of the cock fluttering his wings as he leaps and turns in the air, producing a flash of white as the underwing feathers are briefly revealed. The hen lays up to ten eggs in a ground scrape and takes all responsibility for nesting and caring for the chicks, as is typical with gamebirds.

Conservation

It is perhaps the least-studied of all grouse in the world, and it was formerly classified as

Data Deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

. Recent research shows that it is declining to some extent, and it is consequently listed as a

Near Threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify fo ...

species in 2008 with an estimated population of 30,203–63,034 worldwide in 2010. Conservation efforts have included encouraging

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...

as a way to promote awareness of the bird and its habitat.

References

Notes

Bibliography

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

(BLI) (2008)
[2008_IUCN_Redlist_status_changes]
_Retrieved_2008-MAY-23. *_Madge,_Steve;_McGowan,_Philip_J._K._&_Kirwan,_Guy_M._(2002):_''Pheasants,_partidges_and_grouse_:_a_guide_to_the_pheasants,_partridges,_quails,_grouse,_guineafowl,_buttonquails_and_sandgrouse_of_the_world''._ [2008_IUCN_Redlist_status_changes]
_Retrieved_2008-MAY-23. *_Madge,_Steve;_McGowan,_Philip_J._K._&_Kirwan,_Guy_M._(2002):_''Pheasants,_partidges_and_grouse_:_a_guide_to_the_pheasants,_partridges,_quails,_grouse,_guineafowl,_buttonquails_and_sandgrouse_of_the_world''._Helm_Identification_Guides">Christopher_Helm_ Christopher_Alexander_Roger_Helm_(born__Dundee,_1_February_1937_–_20_January_2007)_was_a__Scottish__book_publisher,_notably_of_ornithology_related_titles,_including_the_''_Helm_Identification_Guides''. Born_in_Dundee,_he_was_raised_in__Forfar_...