Dusky Grouse
| Dendragapus obscurus | Order: Galliformes | Family: Phasianidae (Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies) |
I’ve seen Dusky Grouse just once, during my Big Year, when I was driving between Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico and Mesa, Arizona, I lucked into getting a quick but good look in exactly the right spot to be within their tiny range down there. Whew! But I don’t have photos.
This species and the Sooty Grouse were once considered the same species, called the Blue Grouse. Both have the same unusual migratory habit of going higher in elevation in winter, descending to forested habitat for breeding. And ever since they were considered the same species, they’ve had an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records:
Blue Grouse: Shortest bird migration. In stark contrast to the thousands of kilometres flown by certain migrating birds, such as the Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea), the world’s shortest migration is that of North America’s blue grouse (Dendragapus obscurus). During the winter, it inhabits mountainous pine forests, then when nesting time begins in springtime it descends a mere 300 m to deciduous woodlands in order to feed upon the early crop of seeds and fresh leaves.