Tetrao urogallus crassirostris

(Brehm, 1831)

Vernacular names
English : Western capercaillie
French : Grand Tétras

Classification
Class : Aves
Order : Galliformes
Family : Phasianidae
Notes : 11 other subspecies known.

Identification
Adults males can reach a total length of 115 cm for a weight of 6.5 kg. Males slate-gray to black with dark brown wings, Red eye comb and metallic green breast. Female brown with mottling. Subspecies darker, with richer brown wings.

Range and habitat
This subspecies is found in central Europe, from Germany and Alps to Macedonia. Species occurs in Spain and north of Europe, east to Mongolia. Lives mostly in coniferous forests and woodlands with dense undergrowth.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not Listed
Status : This species is locally common, especially in Russia but has alarmingly declined in most of western Europe because of hunting and habitat loss.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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