5.5K views · 92 reactions | Ruffed Grouse mating dance! | Togwotee Mountain Lodge | Facebook

Last week, before the Ontario FeederWatch Cam went live, we watched a Ruffed Grouse and some Blue Jays in a rather hysterical fuss over access to the seed tray and some peanuts. Who reigned? Enjoy this pre-launch clip and keep watching as we move further into fall and winter, something new to see each day! Want to learn more about the birds you'll see on this cam? Look for the species info tab under the live stream. Click on the species name for even more information. AllAboutBirds.org/feederwat

The ruffed grouse is hard to see, but its drumming is a fixture of many spring forests. If you look closely, however, you'll see the male’s signature display doesn’t involve "drumming" on anything but air! © David & Laura Hughes | West Virginia Nature Conservancy

Sound on to hear the drumming 🔊 This is the breeding display of the ruffed grouse, the analogue to sage-grouse strutting or sharp-tailed grouse dancing. They are similar to dusky grouse in that they are not in a concentrated lek, but instead form territories. Ruffed grouse will generally find a downed log, their drumming log, and use it to drum on much like a stage. They are not actually hitting the log. But it can sound a little like it if you hear them in person. The sound is just from moving

Meet the ruffed grouse! Ruffed grouse are the most widely distributed resident game bird in North America, found in 39 U.S. States and all Canadian provinces. In the Eastern U.S., their range extends from Maine down to the North Georgia mountains where they are found in high elevations and have a long history and importance to the hunters in the Blue Ridge region. These ground-nesting birds are slightly larger than a pigeon and will typically only fly short distances to safety after being flushe