Red Grouse

The Red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus) is a subspecies of the willow grouse. This is found across northern Europe, Asia and North America. Altogether, 16 different subspecies of the willow grouse have been identified. The subspecies scoticus or red grouse, occurs only in mainland Britain, Ireland, the Hebrides and Orkney in areas dominated by heather. Its loud staccato call is one of the most distinctive sounds of the moor.

The bird's most obvious features are its plump shape, white eyelids with bright pinkish-red combs above, and feathered legs and feet. These feathers give added protection from cold and snow.

The red grouse's scientific name Lagopus is derived from the Greek lagos, a hare, and pous, a foot - denoting a similarity between the birds' feet and the furry feet of hares and rabbits.

The British red grouse is closely associated with open moorland where Ling heather is the dominant vegetation. Where conditions are particularly suitable its numbers can reach very high local densities.

Red grouse stay on the moor all year, even scraping through the snow to feed in winter. They eat the short, succulent shoots of heather. These regenerate in profusion where moor keepers have carefully burned off the old woody growth.

Nesting takes place in a scrape on the ground amongst the cover of older heather. Between 6 and 14 eggs are laid in April or May. The chicks are feathered when they hatch and within a few hours are able to leave the nest. To begin with, the young feed on insects which are most abundant near the wet and boggy flushes on the moors.

Like other ground nesting birds, grouse, their eggs and chicks are very vulnerable. They suffer badly from predation by foxes, crows, magpies, jays, rats, cats, stoats and weasels. Where these common predators are controlled, there is a marked benefit to all the birds nesting in the area.

When danger lurks, the hen grouse will try to protect her nest or chicks by feigning injury. She will scuttle across the moor dragging a wing in an attempt to distract the predator.

In their first weeks of life much of the young grouses' energy goes into wing development at the expense of body weight. Young birds are able to fly when they are still only half-grown which helps them to avoid danger.

During the shooting season (August l2th- December lOth) the surplus grouse are harvested as part of a sustainable moorland management programme so that it does not jeopardise the breeding stock for future years.

More than any other British gamebird, the red grouse is a natural product of its environment. Unlike pheasants and partridges, its populations are not maintained or boosted by the release of birds which have been hatched and reared in captivity. Truly wild, self-sustaining populations of grouse occur where:

• the habitat is suitable
• common predators are controlled
• disease and disease-carrying parasites are at low levels
• shooting takes only the stock which the population can yield without affecting future breeding

Grouse numbers fluctuate from year to year for a variety of reasons. But where numbers are consistently dropping it is a sure sign that the above requirements are not being met.

It is possible to bring about a recovery where grouse numbers have declined by improving conditions so that the natural population grows. This depends directly on the success of the moor keeper in maintaining a favourable and healthy environment on the moors coupled with a sensible shooting policy, which benefit the sheep and other wildlife relying on the moor as well.