Western capercaillieTetrao urogallus — habitat, diet and reproduction

• The male is twice the size of the female.
• In winter it can survive almost entirely on pine and spruce needles.
• During part of its song, the male hears poorly for a few seconds.
• In winter, horny fringes grow on its toes, helping it walk on snow.

The male has blackish-grey plumage, a metallic green breast, red eyebrows and a strong pale bill. Its long tail can fan out.

The female is much smaller, with mottled rusty-brown plumage that hides her on the nest and an orange breast patch. Both sexes have feathered legs.

In spring, before dawn, males gather at display grounds called leks. They raise their tails, puff out their throats and give a strange song of clicks, a cork-popping sound and a grinding wheeze.

Females visit the lek and choose a male. Males may fight fiercely for the best spots. The rest of the year the bird is discreet, staying on the ground or feeding in trees in winter.

The species lives in conifer forests across northern Europe and Siberia. In central and southern Europe it survives mainly in mountains: the Alps, Pyrenees and Carpathians.

In Romania it lives in old spruce and mixed forests in the Carpathians, usually above 1,000 m. It needs quiet forests with old trees and bilberry-rich clearings.

In summer it eats leaves, flowers, buds and berries, especially bilberries. In winter it feeds almost only on pine and spruce needles, digested with a very long gut.

It swallows grit to help grind food. Chicks first eat many insects, especially ants and caterpillars, which are rich in protein.

The female nests on the ground in a simple scrape hidden under low branches or by a trunk. She usually lays 5–12 eggs and incubates alone for about four weeks.

Chicks can walk and feed themselves soon after hatching, guided and warmed by the female. Cold, wet weather kills many chicks in their first weeks.

The scientific name Tetrao urogallus comes from Latin: “tetrao” was a name for a similar bird, and “urogallus” can be translated as “wild cock”.

Males were once highly prized hunting trophies, and the spring display features in many Carpathian hunting stories.

The species is assessed globally as Least Concern thanks to large populations in Russia and Scandinavia. In central and western Europe it has vanished from many regions or become very rare.

Threats include felling of old forests, forest roads, disturbance of leks by visitors and predators favoured by people. In the European Union it is listed in Annex I of the Birds Directive, which requires protection of its habitats.

Where does the capercaillie live in Romania?

In old spruce and mixed forests in the Carpathians, usually above 1,000 m.

What is a lek?

A display ground where males perform at dawn in spring, with fanned tails and a song of clicks and pops.

How much does a capercaillie weigh?

Males average about 4 kg, the largest up to about 6.7 kg; females only 1.5–2.5 kg.

What does it eat in winter?

Almost only pine and spruce needles picked from trees.