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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.
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