Grouse are a particular group of game birds that are medium to large in size and are chicken-like in appearance. In North America, Grouse have traditionally been hunted as a source of food, but to birders, they are desirable to find because of their unique qualities and beauty. While some grouse species are numerous, they can still prove to be elusive and it’s always an adventure to try and find them.
Iowa has two grouse species that live within its borders, but that doesn’t mean that they are easy to find. In this post, learn about these four species, including how to identify them, and where to find them.
Greater Prairie Chicken
Identification
Greater Prairie Chickens (also known as Pinnated Grouse) can be identified by their tan and brown barred bodies, small heads, short tails, and light colored throats. Males have golden yellow above their eyes and when mating, puff out yellow-orange throat sacks on their neck. Females look very similar to the males but with less noticeable gold coloration on their face and minimal orange coloration.
Range
The Greater Prairie Chicken once had a range that encompassed most of the Plains states as well as the Great Lakes states. While they do still reside in these areas, their range has condensed to specific areas. Greater Prairie Chickens can still be found in large portions of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and to a lesser extent in states like Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Greater Prairie Chickens feed on seeds, grains, fruits, and insects. They can be seen foraging in small to large groups in open fields where they can sometimes be very difficult to pick out.
Where to Find this Bird
The easiest time of the year to find Greater Prairie Chickens is in winter when they can be seen foraging in fields where they stand out more clearly against the snow. They can also be seen in early morning, roosting in trees. The other time of year they can be found is during spring when they lek, and males put on displays for females.
Ruffed Grouse
Identification
Ruffed Grouse male and females look similar in coloration with some slight differences. Overall, both males and females have a light colored chest and underside, with dark and light brown barring and speckling. Their backs and wings are shades of brown with some white and darker markings mixed in. Ruffed Grouse have a crest on their head and during the breeding season, males will show black neck feathers as a display in addition to fanning their tails in a similar manor to a peacock.
Range
Ruffed Grouse can be found in the northern forests of North America. Their range encompasses most of Southern and Western Canada up into Alaska. In the United States, Ruffed Grouse live in the Midwest around the Great Lakes, in the Northeast, and some of the states in the Northwest such as Montana and Idaho, among others.
Diet and Foraging Behavior
Ruffed Grouse eat mostly plant matter with just a small amount of their diet consisting of insects. Typical fare for the Ruffed Grouse is leaves, buds, ferns, grass, acorns, fruits, and twigs of birch and aspen trees.
Where to Find this Bird
Ruffed Grouse can be very difficult to see as they live in dense woodlands and move very deliberately. Some of the best times to see them is during winter when they stand out more than in months when there isn’t snow. Another way to see Ruffed Grouse is by driving forest roads where they can sometimes be seen on the edge of the tree line of walking on the road, or by visiting a lek in the spring.
Summary
Grouse can be quite difficult to find, but they are certainly fascinating to see in the wild. We hope that this article helped shed some light on the grouse of Iowa and how to find and ID them.
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