Hazel grouse
The hazel grouse, also called the hazel hen, is a small, shy bird in the grouse family. It is listed as Least Concern by conservationists.
Scientific name: Tetrastes bonasia.
Where it lives: It stays in forests across Europe and Asia, reaching as far east as Hokkaido, Japan. It prefers dense, damp mixed conifer woods, especially with some spruce.
What it looks like: It is about 35–39 cm long. Its plumage is grey on top, brown wings, and chestnut speckled with white underneath. The male has a short crest and a white-bordered black throat; the female’s crest is shorter and lacks the black throat. In flight, the tail is grey with black tips.
Calls: The male’s call is a high-pitched ti-ti-ti-ti-ti; the female’s is a soft tettettettettet. The rushing wing sound is sometimes the easiest way to hear them.
Behaviour: Hazel grouse are shy and stay hidden in dense woods. They feed on plants on the ground, and will eat insects when breeding.
Breeding: They nest on the ground and usually lay 3–6 eggs. The female incubates and cares for the young by herself, as is common in gamebirds.
Taxonomy: They belong to the genus Tetrastes, with the species bonasia. There are about 11 recognized subspecies.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 07:20 (CET).