Dusky Grouse Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesDusky Grouse
Male
Large chickenlike bird with a small head and a long, dark tail tipped in gray. Males have a yellow eyebrow that turns red during courtship. Reddish bare neck patches are visible when displaying.
© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay LibraryColorado, April 04, 2014Female
Large chickenlike bird with a small head and a long, dark tail. Females have brownish gray barred upperparts.
© Laure Wilson Neish / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, September 09, 2012Male
Walks along the ground thrusting its head forward with each step.
© DAVID BROWN / Macaulay LibraryColorado, April 15, 2009Not all videos have sound
Male
Chunky grouse with a small head. Males are mottled gray and brown overall with a pale gray band on the tail.
© Jackson Trappett / Macaulay LibraryColorado, September 29, 2012Display
Males have a yellow eyebrow that turns red during courtship. Reddish bare neck patches are visible when displaying.
© Andrew Spencer / Macaulay LibraryColorado, April 04, 2014Female
During breeding season, found in dry grasslands and shrublands as well as dry mountainous forests and subalpine habitats.
© David Disher / Macaulay LibraryColorado, July 25, 2019Habitat
During the nonbreeding season, found in evergreen forests where it is mainly arboreal, walking and hoping through tree branches.
© Emma Rosen / Macaulay LibraryNevada, August 09, 2017Similar SpeciesSooty Grouse
Female
Sooty Grouse occur in the mountains of the West Coast of North America; they have very little range overlap with Dusky Grouse. Females are very difficult to tell apart in the field.
© Alex Lamoreaux / Macaulay LibraryWashington, July 31, 2015Similar SpeciesSooty Grouse
Male
Displaying male Sooty has yellowish neck patches compared to Dusky's pink or purple patches. Sooty Grouse and Dusky Grouse overlap mainly in the mountains of British Columbia. In these areas (though not pictured here) the Sooty Grouse has gray-tipped tail feathers while Dusky has an all-black tail.
© David Lawrence / Macaulay LibraryWashington, July 21, 2012Similar SpeciesSpruce Grouse
Female
Spruce Grouse are smaller with shorter tails than Dusky Grouse. They have more white and stronger barring on the breast and belly.
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryAlaska, May 20, 2012Similar SpeciesSpruce Grouse
Male
Male Spruce Grouse are mostly black with bold white stripes or spots on the breast and belly, whereas Dusky Grouse are a more uniform dark gray. Spruce has red eyebrows; Dusky's are yellow.
© Luke Seitz / Macaulay LibraryMaine, May 09, 2011Similar SpeciesRuffed Grouse
Adult
Ruffed Grouse are smaller than Dusky Grouse, with a short peaked crest. They have dark bars on their whitish sides and belly, unlike Dusky's more uniform gray color.
© Alix d'Entremont / Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, April 06, 2013Similar SpeciesRuffed Grouse
Male
Ruffed Grouse are smaller than Dusky Grouse, and they have a light tail with a dark band near the tip. Displaying males have a fluffy black "ruff" on the neck, unlike displaying Dusky's bare purplish skin surrounded by white feather bases.
© Lucas Bobay / Macaulay LibraryMinnesota, March 05, 2017Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies(Order: Galliformes, Family: Phasianidae)
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