Ruffed Grouse mating dance! | Togwotee Mountain Lodge

Male ruffed grouse “drum” in springtime as a way to establish territory and to attract females. Although it looks as if the sound is caused by the bird’s wings hitting its chest, the sound actually comes from small sonic booms. The wings beat up to 5 times per second, causing the sound waves to stack up until they create a penetrating shock wave that creates the boom. Male grouse usually perform on a “drumming log,” which might help project the low-frequency sound. Drumming exerts a remarkable a

The ruffed grouse is hard to see, but its drumming is a fixture of many spring forests. If you look closely, however, you'll see the male’s signature disp | West Virginia Nature Conservancy

The primary driver behind decline of ruffed grouse populations is the loss of habitat diversity, particularly the scarcity of young forest habitat. The consequences extend beyond ruffed grouse, affecting numerous forest wildlife species that rely on diverse forests for their survival. Through active forest management we can reverse this trend and ensure that our forests become more diverse and resilient. Video by We The Forest | Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities