Description: The Ruffed Grouse comes in two phases, each identified by the color of its tail. The "gray" phase Ruffed Grouse has a gray tail, and the "red" phase Ruffed Grouse has a rufous-colored (red-brown) tail. The two kinds of Ruffed Grouses are identical otherwise.

The male Ruffed grouse measures about 18 inches in length. Chicken-like in appearance, it is brownish throughout with heavily streaked, white underparts and black flanks. Males have a large, conspicuous crest and a black tuft of feathers on the neck called a "ruff". The tail, which the male fans during courtship, is bright rufous or gray with a narrow, dark band toward the end. Females are slightly smaller and have a smaller crest.

The Ruffed Grouse is perfectly camouflaged in the deep coniferous or mixed woodlands. Often times birdwatchers never notice the bird until it explodes in a flurry of flight before being stepped on. Such encounters can be quite startling. The male Ruffed Grouse will drum (beat his wings rapidly) on a log or rock to attract a female. The male Ruffed Grouse may take several mates, but will not assist in the rearing of the young.

Range: The Ruffed Grouse breeds from central Alaska south through Canada. In the continental United States, the Ruffed Grouse breeds in the Cascade Range and northern Rocky Mountains, northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, and throughout New England and the Appalachian Mountain Region.

Habitat: The Ruffed Grouse prefers extensive, mixed woodlands, usually in mountainous settings.

Diet: The diet of the Ruffed Grouse consists of buds, twigs, leaves, ferns, acorns, and sometimes insects.

Nesting: The female lays 7-16 eggs in a bowl-shaped depression in the ground.

Status: The Roadrunner is common and stable.