# Western Capercaillie (*Tetrao urogallus*)

The western capercaillie (*Tetrao urogallus*) is a bird of the family Phasianidae, in the order Galliformes.

> The western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) is the world's largest grouse. Males are dark, turkey-sized birds of 4–6.5 kg that fan their tails and give clicking, popping display calls at dawn leks; females are much smaller and barred brown. It lives in old conifer forests from Scotland and Scandinavia to Siberia. It is Least Concern globally but declining, and Scotland's population is down to a few hundred birds.

- **Category:** Bird
- **Conservation status (IUCN-style):** Least Concern
- **Range:** Conifer forests of Scotland, Scandinavia and the mountains of central and southern Europe east across Russia to central Siberia.
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/capercaillie/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Aves
- **Order:** Galliformes
- **Family:** Phasianidae
- **Genus:** Tetrao

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Tetrao urogallus |
| Diet | Pine needles in winter; buds, berries and insects in summer |
| Habitat | Old conifer and mixed forest with a rich shrub layer |
| Size | 61–86 cm long; wingspan 87–125 cm |
| Weight | Males about 3.9–6.5 kg; females much smaller |
| Range | Scotland, Scandinavia and the mountains of Europe east to Siberia |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2024) |

## The biggest grouse

Males are dark slate-grey and black with a glossy green breast, a red wattle over the eye, a pale bill and a long, rounded tail. Females are barred brown and orange, about half the weight, and well camouflaged on the forest floor.

## Lekking at dawn

In spring males gather at traditional display grounds called leks. With tails fanned and necks stretched, they perform a song of clicks, a 'cork-popping' note and a grinding wheeze, and fight rivals. Females visit to choose a mate.

## Living on pine needles

In winter capercaillie feed almost entirely on conifer needles, especially Scots pine, which few other birds can digest. In summer they eat bilberry, buds and seeds, and the chicks need insects.

## Status

BirdLife International lists the species as Least Concern (2024) with 4 to 8.6 million mature birds, but the trend is decreasing. In Scotland it died out in the 18th century, was reintroduced from Sweden in 1837, and has now fallen to a few hundred birds because of habitat loss, fence collisions, predation and wet springs.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the largest grouse in the world?

The western capercaillie. Males can weigh about 6.5 kg.

### Where can you see capercaillie in the UK?

Only in the Scottish Highlands, mainly the Cairngorms and Strathspey. Disturbance harms them, so visitors are asked to stay on paths and not seek out leks.

### What does 'capercaillie' mean?

It comes from the Scottish Gaelic 'capall coille', meaning 'horse of the woods'.

### Are capercaillie endangered?

Globally they are Least Concern, but they are declining in much of western Europe and are critically low in Scotland.

## Sources

- [BirdLife International (2026). Species factsheet: Western Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus. BirdLife DataZone. Checked 1 November 2026.](https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/western-capercaillie-tetrao-urogallus)
- [Animal Diversity Web: Tetrao urogallus. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tetrao_urogallus/)
- [BTO BirdFacts: Capercaillie. British Trust for Ornithology.](https://www.bto.org/learn/about-birds/birdfacts/capercaillie)
- Tobias, J. A. et al. (2022). AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. doi:10.1111/ele.13898
- [Gill, F., Donsker, D. & Rasmussen, P. (Eds). IOC World Bird List v15.2.](https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/)

## Help protect the Western Capercaillie

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/capercaillie/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.