QUIZ: How Well Do You Know Your Upland Birds?
OutdoorHub Editor: Keenan Crow 08.09.16
If you’ve recently caught the upland hunting fever, you can probably feel the upcoming season approaching right around the corner. Many hunters spend a large portion of autumn (obsessive amounts if you ask their spouses) in the woods chasing after those elusive upland birds: the ruffed grouse and American woodcock.
These stubborn birds hold tight to their thickets until either you or your four-legged hunting partner flushes them into a thunderous explosion of wings. It’s one of the best adrenaline rushes you’ll find in the woods.
But how much do you know about these peculiar birds? If you’ve been hunting them for years, you might do well on the quiz. Then again, you might surprise yourself with what you didn’t know about them.
Grouse Quiz
What is the best way to tell a male and female grouse apart?
Number of dots on their rump feathers
An interrupted band on the tail
Number of feathers in their fan
Besides that, what else can you use to distinguish them?
Tail color
Tail length
Width of their tail fan
How can you tell an adult bird from a juvenile?
The size of the bird
By looking at the two outermost winged feathers
Measure the length of the wings
True or false: the interruption of a band is a tell tale sign of a female grouse.
False
True
True of false: the color of the ruff feathers correspond with the color on the band
True
False
How did you do? For a video version of all the answers, check out the video below.
Feel like you did any better on this one? I’m guessing not, due to the more secretive lives of woodcock versus grouse, but I’ve been wrong a few times before. Check the video below for all the answers on woodcock.
