Ruffed Grouse – Wing Thumper A Nature Video by Lang Elliott. This plump grouse has a cocky crest and a tail marked by a broad, dark band near the tip. Square tail with dark tip.

The drumming sound is made as the bird strikes the air with its wings vigorously enough to create a brief vacuum causing, in effect, a miniature sonic boom. Even those who don’t carry a gun can appreciate the strange drumming sound and frantic flushes from the side of the trail. It can come as a surprise to learn this distant sound, like an engine trying to start, comes from a bird at all. A mong the most amazing rites of spring is the territorial and courtship “drumming” display of the male Ruffed Grouse, a chicken-like bird of hardwood and mixed forests in northern and mountainous areas (see range map below).. Bonasa umbellus. A male ruffed grouse claims his territory in the forest near Mammoth Hot Springs. King of the forest, the noblest of the upland birds, the Ruffed Grouse is an elusive prize sought by bird hunters each fall.

Did you know that the "drumming" sound created by the male Ruffed Grouse comes from their wings hitting nothing but air?
Loud self-advertisement is a risky business for a bird with many enemies. Duration: 13 seconds. Ruffed Grouse. Their wings move so fast and create a sort of vacuum. During this ritual display, the grouse beats its wings in a series of thumps that builds to a resonant crescendo, the bird's wings blurring with speed. However, ruffed grouse do not form the communal display areas (or leks) characteristic of prairie grouse.

Well-camouflaged for forested areas. NPS/Neal Herbert Ruffed Grouse. If a grouse tries to increase the effect of its drumming on a neighboring male while remaining in his own territory, it follows that he will, as nearly as possible, face directly toward the neighbor when drumming. Typically seen as they flush from forest floor, exploding into the air and then gliding down towards the next hiding place. Sound Library - Ruffed Grouse. Varies in plumage from cold gray to rich rufous. Aubin (1972) suggested that male Ruffed Grouse answer the drumming sounds of their neighbors by drumming in turn. The male grouse chooses his drumming site with care to reduce the chances of predation. The dappled, grayish or reddish Ruffed Grouse is hard to see, but its “drumming on air” display is a fixture of many spring forests. Ruffed grouse drumming . Males beat wings against their chest to produce distinctive low-pitched drumming sound. This fella is using the log as his "stage" to announce his territory and call a mate! SOUND ON!