Grouse (Tetraonidae)

Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) - HBW 2, p. 405

French: Grand Tétras German: Auerhuhn Spanish: Urogallo Común

Taxonomy: Tetrao Urogallus Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden.
Forms superspecies with T. parvirostris, with which very commonly hybridizes where ranges overlap in Siberia (up to 12% of males reported to be hybrids in one area); hybrids also common with T. tetrix and occasional with Lagopus lagopus. Many of proposed races clearly intergrade, and sometimes reduced essentially to two, with nominate in N and taczanowskii in S, but this option probably oversimplistic. Twelve subspecies currently recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

cantabricus Castroviejo, 1967 - Cantabrian Mts (NW Spain).
aquitanicus Ingram, 1915 - Pyrenees.
major C. L. Brehm, 1831 - C Europe, from Germany and Alps to SW Baltic states, W Byelorussia, E Carpathians and N Macedonia.

See all 12 subspecies

cantabricus Castroviejo, 1967 - Cantabrian Mts (NW Spain).
aquitanicus Ingram, 1915 - Pyrenees.
major C. L. Brehm, 1831 - C Europe, from Germany and Alps to SW Baltic states, W Byelorussia, E Carpathians and N Macedonia.
rudolfi Dombrowski, 1912 - Carpathians in Ukraine and Romania, and Rhodope Mts in Bulgaria.
urogallus Linnaeus, 1758 - Scandinavia; Scotland (where reintroduced).
lonnbergi Snigirevski, 1957 - Kola Peninsula.
karelicus Lönnberg, 1924 - Finland and Russian Karelia.
pleskei Stegmann, 1926 - Byelorussia, N Ukraine and most of European Russia.
obsoletus Snigirevski, 1937 - from L Onega through N Russia and N Siberia to upper R Lena.
volgensis Buturlin, 1907 - C & SE Russia.
uralensis Menzbier, 1887 - S Urals and SW Siberia E to Barnaul.
taczanowskii Stejneger, 1885 - C Siberia, S to Altai Mts and NW Mongolia.