The horse of the woods

COVER STORY: SPECIES PROFILE

AGROUSE fearlessly chasing humans out of woodland and even attacking vehicles – that seems more befitting a cartoon character than a real bird. Yet this is not uncommon behaviour for the male western capercaillie (Tetraourogallus). Delinquent capercaillie have earned names such as Mad Tom and Mad Max.

These birds are the largest of the grouse family and males weigh 7-10lb (3.2-4.5kg), which makes them even larger than the black grouse (Lyrurus likewise a resident in the UK. Whereas the black grouse often frequents spruce forest, the capercaillie prefers mature native pine forests, and in the UK these are only found in the central Highlands of Scotland. Elsewhere, it is distributed throughout Europe, mainly in Russia. The smaller black-billed capercaillie of Siberia and China prefers larch woodland, and hybridises with the western species