Ruffed Grouse - Foolbirds

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     A bird, it had been, about the size of a very small chicken only with a fantail and stubby wings that slammed against its body and made loud noise. Noise there and gone. He got up and brushed himself off. The bird had been speckled, brown and gray, and it must not be very smart because Brian's foot had been nearly on it before it flew. half a second more and he would have stepped on it.

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     The ruffed grouse is a brownish colored bird. This bird has long, shiny, black or chocolate colored neck feathers. It is a little larger than a pigeon at about 14 inches in length.  Its tail feathers are fan shaped and are over 5 to 8 inches in length. Its wings are round like a chickens. At the top of its head is a crest. The ruffed grouse gets its name from the ruffs on the side of its neck. Its head, neck and back are brown or gray. Its breast is a whitish with brown and black bars and chevrons.

     Ruffed grouse live wooded area. It prefers the deciduous and mixed forests. It builds a shelter in a shallow depression lined with leaves.  It eats mostly plant matter. It does eat a small amount of insects.