Black Grouse

Lyrurus tetrix

Also known as: Eurasian Black Grouse

About This Species

Black Grouse are best known for the spectacular dawn lek, when males gather on open moorland or forest-edge clearings in early spring to display with fanned tails, inflated white undertail feathers and bubbling, hissing calls to compete for mates. Outside the display season they are quieter and more secretive, favouring a mix of heather moor, birch scrub and rough grassland across upland Europe and parts of Asia. April and May, arriving well before first light, gives the best chance of witnessing lekking behaviour.

Ethical Viewing Guidelines

Lek sites are highly sensitive to disturbance, and even a distant, quiet observer can cause displaying males to scatter, so use a hide or vehicle as a screen and stay a substantial distance away rather than walking into open ground near a lek.
Because populations have declined sharply in parts of their range, several European countries afford leks specific legal protection during the breeding season, though the exact rules differ by jurisdiction, so check local guidance before visiting a known site.
Never approach on foot across open moorland during the lekking hours around dawn.

LCAvesGalliformesPhasianidae

Seasonal Activity

262,630 sightings · 2000–2026

Citizen science records via GBIF

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Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae

Photo

CC-BY-NC-4.0

Occurrence data from GBIF.