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Western capercaillie

Western capercaillie

The largest wild hen in Slovenia.

The normally cautious and well-hearing male capercaillie almost forgets about its surroundings during its courtship display and vocalizations. It raises its head, fans out its tail, and puffs up the feathers under its head, trying to convince the female that he is the best among the males through clapping, rasping, popping, grinding, and other characteristic calls.

 Western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus)

Size
  • to 85 cm

Weight
  • from 5 kg

Diet

  • insects, berries, grasses, tree and shrub buds, conifer needles

Habitat

  • Europe and central Asia; in Slovenia it is found in the Alps
   
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum

Chordata
Class

Aves
Order

Galliformes
Family

Phasianidae
Genus

Tetrao
Species

T. urogallus

The capercaillie lives in areas with dense vegetation and undergrowth above 800 meters above sea level. Before mating, the male convinces the female with its characteristic calls and displays.

The courtship display of the western capercaillie begins early in spring, from March to around mid-May

Several males gather at the breeding ground, showcasing their attributes. Sometimes, real fights occur among the males. The competition initially takes place only among the males, and in the end, the female selects her partner. After mating, the male leaves, and the female takes care of the offspring on her own.

The female lays 6 to 12 light brown pea-shaped eggs in a simple nest on the ground, in tall grass, or in ferns. She incubates them for about a month. As soon as the chicks hatch, they search for food together with their mother, and in cold weather, they huddle close to her.

The chicks of the capercaillie require a lot of protein, so they eat forest ants and other insects.

 

The proportion of plant food increases later, with adults feeding on berries, leaves, buds, grass and, in winter, almost exclusively on conifer needles.

The western capercaillie lives in areas where there is a lot of dense vegetation and undergrowth at altitudes above 800 metres. It lives in coniferous and mixed forests. In Slovenia, it is found in the Alps, but it also lives elsewhere in Europe and in central Asia.


And what does it look like? The female and the male are very different. At up to 85 cm and weighing up to 5 kg, the male is the largest hen in our country. The feathers are black on the head, turning to a dark brown on the back and a distinctive dark green on the chest. Above the eyes it has eyebrow-like feathers in red, and on the crest of the wing it has larger white spot-like feathers. Females are not so colourful. They are characterised by a pea-brown colour.


The Western capercaillie is a protected animal in Slovenia.

DID YOU KNOW?

  1. The western capercaillie loves blueberries.
  2. A typical phenomenon in western capercaillie populations is the phenomenon of the so-called "crazy roosters". These are capercaillies that show no innate fear of humans.