Capercaillie, Scottish wildlife, native to Scotland

Capercaillie image Also spelt Capercailzie, its name in English is derived from the Gaelic capull coille, meaning "horse of the woods".
Capercaillies is the largest member of the grouse family and is famous for its unusual mating dance.
Male and female Capercaillie - the cocks and the hens - can be discriminated easily by their size and colouration. The cock is much bigger, weighing 4.3 kg (9.5 lbs) on average and ranging up to 6.3 kg (14 lbs) in large examples. He can range from 74 to 100 cm (29 to 40 in) in length and has a wingspan of about 1.2 m (3.9 ft). The body feathers are coloured dark grey to dark brown, breast feathers are dark green metallic shining. The belly and under tail coverts vary from black to white depending on race.
The hen is much smaller, weighing about half as much as the cock. Her body from beak to tail is approximately 54-63 cm (21-25 in) long, the wingspan is 70 cm (28 in) and she weighs about 2 kg (4.4 lbs). Feathers on her upper parts are brown with black and silver barring, on the underside they are more light and buffish-yellow.
Both sexes have a white spot on the wing bow. They have feathered legs, especially in the cold season for protection against cold. Their toe rows of small, elongated horn tacks provide a snowshoe effect that led to the German family name "Rauhfusshühner", literally translated as "raw feet chickens".
These so called "courting tacks" make a clear track in the snow in winter. Both sexes can be distinguished very easily by the size of their footprints. There is a bright red spot of naked skin above each eye.
Numbers of Capercaillie dropped severely due to deforestation and hunting; however, it is now protected by law.
Capercaillies are not elegant fliers due to their body weight and short, rounded wings. While taking off they produce a sudden thundering noise that deters predators. Because of their body size and wing span they avoid young and dense forests when flying. While flying they rest in short gliding phases. Their feathers produce a whistling sound.
The Capercaillie lives on a variety of food types, including buds, leaves, berries, insects, grasses and in the winter mostly conifer needles.
The courting season of the Capercaillie starts according to spring weather progress, vegetation development and altitude between March and April and lasts until May or June. Three-quarters of this long courting season is mere territorial competition between neighbouring cocks or cocks on the same courting ground.
At the very beginning of dawn, the tree courting begins on a thick branch of a lookout tree. The cock postures himself with raised and fanned tail feathers, recked neck, beak pointed skywards, wings held out and drooped and starts his typical aria. This consists of four parts, tapping, drum roll, cork pop and gurgling or wheezing.
About three days after copulation the hen starts laying eggs. Within 10 days the clutch is full, the average clutch size is 8 eggs but may amount up to 12, rarely only 4 or 5 eggs. The subsequent breeding lasts about 26-28 days according to weather and altitude.
In Scotland, the population has declined greatly since the 1960s because of deer fencing, predation and lack of suitable habitat (Caledonian Forest). The population plummeted from a high of 10,000 pairs in the 1960s to less than 1000 birds in 1999. It was even named as the bird most likely to become extinct in the UK by 2015. However, due to the hard work of the RSPB and other organisations it may now be making a modest recovery.

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Capercaillie

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