Pine forests,
preferably old ones, are Capercaillies’ domain. In spring they gather at leks
to display and mate. Often the leks vary from year to year, and also the centre
of the lek can shift from one day to the other, making it hard to predict the
exact spot.
In western Finland, their display season approaches its peak towards the end of April, early May. That’s when the females are finally arriving at the lek to observe, and to select their mating partner. With the hens gathering to the nearby trees, the males perform showy flutter-jumps, making a lot of noise with their wings, and occasionally burst into wild, short display flights.
In western Finland, their display season approaches its peak towards the end of April, early May. That’s when the females are finally arriving at the lek to observe, and to select their mating partner. With the hens gathering to the nearby trees, the males perform showy flutter-jumps, making a lot of noise with their wings, and occasionally burst into wild, short display flights.
Western capercaillies are large grouse that exhibit
extreme sexual dimorphism. Males are the largest of the grouse family, ranging
from 4 to 5 kg while females weigh no more than 2 kg. Males are distinguished
by their dark black body color, iridescent blue and green, and vibrant red
combs over the eye. Their fanlike tail is used for displaying to females.
Female western capercaillies are similar to female black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix),
but are larger and have warmer brown coloration on her body. Females are
distinguished by the rosy-rufous color on their throat, breast, and tail. (EU
Wildlife and Sustainable Farming Project, 2009)
Tetrao urogallus (western capercaillies) have a
Palearctic distribution. They are a non-migratory species, although hens with
broods seem to use the same route to travel in search of high-quality insects for
multiple years in succession. The northern boundary of their range reaches as
far north as Scandinavia and continuously extends eastward into eastern
Siberia. Further south in temperate Europe, western capercaillie populations
occur in fragments. Prior to the second half of the 20th century, forestry
practices and efforts to improve habitat lead to range expansion and high
connectivity. During this time the connected habitats probably functioned as
meta-populations. Western capercaillie populations are now declining in most of
their central European range due to habitat deterioration and human
disturbance. (Segelbacher, et al., 2003; Storch, 2000; Wegge, et al., 2007)
Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- homoiothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- male larger
- sexes colored or patterned differently
- male more colorful
- ornamentation
Phot location: Jalasjärvi, Finland
Photo info - 28.04.2014: Canon EOS-1D X, 165
mm, ISO 3200, f 3, 1/1250 sec, Flash: not used
Tags: capercaillie, display, display jump,
flutter jump, lek, markus varesvuo, mature pine forest, spring
.beautiful bird
ReplyDeleteYeah indeed ❤
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