Field Guide
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Red Grouse
Lagopus lagopus scotica
Not yet photographed by the community
Iconic moorland bird; calls "go-back, go-back".
Species Profile
Red List (Birds of Conservation Concern)
- Lifespan
- 5–8 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 37–40 cm, wingspan 48–56 cm; 330–680 g
- Habitat
- Heather moorland and blanket bog at high altitude, typically above 300 m in Scotland and northern England.
- UK Distribution
- Year-round resident found exclusively in upland regions of Scotland, northern England (Pennines), and small populations in Wales. Does not migrate.
- Diet
- Almost entirely herbivorous, feeding on heather shoots, bilberry, crowberry, and other moorland plants; chicks eat insects initially but shift to vegetation.
- Predators
- Golden eagles, white-tailed eagles, hen harriers, short-eared owls, foxes, and stoats.
- Mating Season
- April to June
- Breeding
- Clutch size 6–9 eggs, incubation period 19–20 days, single brood per year. Chicks fledge at 12–14 days.
- Behaviour
- Highly territorial males establish and defend moorland territories with loud croaking calls ('go-back-go-back'). Social structure is based on loose flocks outside breeding season. Males and females both develop feathered legs and feet for insulation and snow-walking.
- •The Scottish red grouse is a subspecies that is darker and heavier than its Scandinavian counterparts, representing a local adaptation to Scottish moorlands.
- •Red grouse populations undergo dramatic cyclical crashes every 4–10 years, driven partly by parasitic nematode worms transmitted by ticks.
- •Their plumage changes with the season: birds moult into a whiter winter coat for camouflage on snow-covered moors.
- •The species' fortunes are closely linked to moorland management for sheep and red grouse shooting; heather burning and predator control are traditional practices.
- •Unlike most grouse species, red grouse do not migrate to lower elevations in winter, remaining on their natal territories year-round.
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