Ardea
Official journal of the Netherlands Ornithologists' Union

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Parr R. & Watson A. (1988) Habitat preferences of Black Grouse on moorland-dominated ground in North-east Scotland. ARDEA 76 (2): 175-180
Black Grouse were observed on three areas of moorland with some woodland and fields. Leks were on almost flat ground with short grass, next to heather moorland and close to woods. Adults fed mainly on heaths, birch, willow, larch and Scots pine in different seasons, and cotton grass flowers in spring. Roosting and nesting adults were found mostly in tall dense heather. In daytime, hens with young preferred rusty mires and hens with small young the particularly wet mires. Adults without young favoured tall heather and other tall vegetation away from wet rusty mires. In winter, moorland sightings showed the same pattern as for adults without young, but birds occasionally fed in trees during snow-free periods and all did so exclusively in deep snow. A key on habitat suitability is presented. Changes in land use, and in farming and forestry practices, are destroying much habitat, and we predict fewer birds as a result.


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