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Black Grouse or blackgame used to found nearly every where in britain, but now is sadly only in Scotland, Wales and the north of Britain. Now you wont find them in the south of britain mainly because of the loss of habitat and theirnumbers still continue to decline over all, thoough there may be some local stability.
The amazingly looking blackcock has a shiny bluish-black coat and a white under-tail coverts, wing-bars and patches on the leading edges of its wings. The rounded shape of its tail is fanned outwards in display exposing the white under-tail coverts in sharp contrast. The grey hen is heavily barred, with a slightly forked tail and a thin white wing-bar. The cock has a prominent red eyebrows whilst the hens are barely noticeable.
The black grouse is a bird of the forest/moorland edge, and is not often found above the timber line. The black grouses favourite habitat is an open forest, mainly a modest-size woodland usually broken up with bogs and rough openings with an undergrowth of heather. Black grouse will move on as it thickens up and, consequently, mans plantations have helped to slow the decline.
In winter when it snows, arboreal feeding becomes necessary with birch buds and catkins being grouses favourite winter food. When they are able to ground feed on shoots, seeds and berries with heather being the most important part in their diet. Arable land is also used, especially when stubbles are available. Blackgame roost in both in trees and on the ground, in heather or rushes.
Blackgame, display all through out the year but it is very rare for them to display in July and August, but it peaks in spring. The lek is traditional, roughly an acre in size, deppending on the number of birds attending. It is usually sited in open grassy areas in woodland, clearingsand field corners
hens lays 6-12 eggs in mid to late may, in a scrape in the ground amongst thick cover. The black grouse will re-nest if eggs are predated during the early stages of incubation. The main diet of the chicks for the first 2-3 weeks is insects. The chicks can fly short distances at only 10 days, and they are totally independent after about 3 months when the brood splits up. Yearling cocks are unlikly to have their own territory at the lek in their first spring though both the hen and the cock are sexually mature by the. Crows and magpies are a huge threat to the nest just like with other game birds. Foxes, peregrines and goshawks will take an adult black grouse.
The decline of the black grouse is thought to be because of loss of habitat through forest maturation. Blackgame clearly benefit from the young plantatioons and it is possible that clear-felling areas withi older-felling areas within older forestry may also help, however other factors may also be involved. Predation clearly pays a part and in the decline of the blackgame, but the population is thought to be stable because of high quality keepering. |
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