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.
- 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.
- Least Concern
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A male displaying Oetscher, Austria (ssp major)
Helmut Schenkel Br... 30 April 2002 3 years ago 33 sec 4.8 -
A male in the lek Valle Benasque, Huesca, Aragón, Spain (ssp aquitanicus)
Luis Lorente 9 May 2005 5 years ago 27 sec 3.9 -
A male feeding on some blueberries Valle Benasque, Huesca, Aragón, Spain (ssp aquitanicus)
Luis Lorente 9 May 2005 5 years ago 28 sec 3.7 -
A male on the ground Valle Benasque, Huesca, Aragón, Spain (ssp aquitanicus)
Luis Lorente 9 May 2005 5 years ago 21 sec 3.7 -
A male walking in the lek Valle Benasque, Huesca, Aragón, Spain (ssp aquitanicus)
Luis Lorente 9 May 2005 5 years ago 15 sec 3.6 -
A male displaying Valle Benasque, Huesca, Aragón, Spain (ssp aquitanicus)
Luis Lorente 9 May 2005 5 years ago 33 sec 3.5 -
A male feeding on the ground Valle Benasque, Huesca, Aragón, Spain (ssp aquitanicus)
Luis Lorente 9 May 2005 5 years ago 1 min 3.5 -
A female feeding on the ground Kuusamo, Oulu Province, Finland (ssp karelicus)
Christian Dortu 31 May 2005 4 years ago 46 sec 3.4 -
A male in the lek Valle Benasque, Huesca, Aragón, Spain (ssp aquitanicus)
Luis Lorente 9 May 2005 5 years ago 31 sec 3.2 -
A close-up of the head of a male. Vogelpark Walsrode, Niedersachsen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Josep del Hoyo 12 August 2006 1 year ago 30 sec 3 -
A dorsal view of a sleeping male. Vogelpark Walsrode, Niedersachsen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Josep del Hoyo 12 August 2006 1 year ago 31 sec 3
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