Western Capercaillie

(Tetrao urogallus)

• Avicultural Data
• Images
• Bibliography
• Links

Other Names: Capercaillie, Eurasian Capercaillie, Capercailzie, Auerhan Grouse, Auerhoen (Dutch), Auerhuhn (German), Glukhar (Russian), Grand T้tras (French)

Range: Northern Europe, Asia, France, Spain, Scotland.

Subspecies: Tetrao urogallus urogallus, Northern Capercaillie - Scotland (re-introduced), Scandinavia east to northwestern Siberia; T. u. aquitanicus, Pyrenees Capercaillie - Pyrenees region in France & Spain; T. u. cantabricus, Cantabrian Capercaillie - Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain; T. u. major - Germany, western Belarus, the Balkans, Macedonia and Bulgaria; T.u. kureikensis - Northern Russia; T. u. volgensis - Central and southeastern Russia; T. u. uralensis - West-central Russia; T. u. taczanowskii - Siberian Capercaillie, Central Siberia, eastern Kazakhstan and northwestern Mongolia.

Habitat: Coniferous forests, cantabricus inhabits broadleaf and mixed forests.

Status in Wild: Stable in many areas of large range, but decreasing and vulnerable to habitat loss in western and central Europe.

Avicultural Data

Status in Aviculture: Very rare in American aviculture if it is present at all; is kept and bred successfully in European aviaries.

Click on thumbnails for larger views.

Photo Credits
(l to r): 1-4, Fran็ois Bernar; 5, Jan Harteman.

• Johnsgard, P.A. 1983. The Grouse of the World. Croom Helm, London.
• Kuz'mina, M.A. 1992. Tetraonidae and Phasianidae of the USSR. Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, D.C.
• Madge, S., McGowan, P. 2002. Pheasants, Partridges, and Grouse. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.
• Mullarney, K., Svensson, L., Zetterström, D., Grant, P.J. 1999. Birds of Europe. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.

Links related to this species. Please note, links will open in a new window.

• Capercaillie - Fact sheet from The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
• Eurasian Capercaillie - Mangoverde World Bird Guide Species Page; Images & Sounds.
• Tetrao urogallus Images - Images of this species located at the Phasianidae group on flickr.
• Tetrao urogallus major - Images of the subspecies major from the Wild Bird Gallery.
• Wikipedia - Capercaillie - Wikipedia's species page.