Peatland wildlife
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Red grouse
(Lagopus lagopus scoticus)
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Red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scoticus)
Description
The Irish red grouse is a subspecies of the willow grouse found
on upland bogs and Heather moorlands across northern Europe
and is endemic to Ireland. Red grouse are plump birds and have
a rich, tawny-red plumage with dark-brown wing feathers and
white-feathered legs. From a distance, both sexes look alike
but the females are generally smaller and paler than the males,
and can even be yellowish or "marmalade" in colour during the
breeding season. The male has large red wattles over the eyes
during the breeding season, although the female's are less pronounced.
Behaviour
Red grouse are sedentary birds, spending their entire lives
in the same area. They are reluctant to fly, relying on their
plumage as camouflage against the Heather. However when flushed,
they explode into a strong, rapid flight low across the Heather.
Adult birds feed mostly on Heather, Bilberry and Cottongrass
shoots, flowers, seeds and berries.
Breeding
The breeding season is from the beginning of April to the end
of June. The nest is a shallow scrape under dense Heather where
the female lays 6-12 eggs. The chicks are precocious, and able
to feed themselves soon after hatching. They feed on insects
for the first few weeks, and then change to the adult diet.
Status
Local
Populations of red grouse in Northern Ireland are declining,
possibly due to diseases and loss of upland habitat.
Red grouse are game birds andthey are protected during the
close season, but they may be hunted in Northern Ireland during
the open season from 12 August to 30 November. There are controls
within the Wildlife
Order on the types of gun and other methods that can be
used to kill these birds. There are significant differences
in the law in this area between Northern Ireland and the rest
of Great Britain – for example, it is illegal to kill these
birds on Sundays or at night in Northern Ireland.
The red grouse is a Northern Ireland Priority Species for conservation
because of the recent decline in it's population and distribution.
