Birkwild Hesse

Black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix, formerly Tetrao tetrix) belongs to the pheasant family and to the grouse subfamily. The cock wears a glossy blue-black plumage, the outer tail feathers curve outward to form the lyre-shaped tail, and bright red wattles sit above the eyes. Because of these distinctive tail feathers, the cock is also called Spielhahn in the Alpine region, and the curved tail feathers are traditionally worn as hat decoration.

Preferred habitats are open mountain forests interspersed with mountain pine and green alder scrub, alpine meadows, heathlands and raised bogs at the tree line. Black grouse depend on a mosaic of open display arenas, semi-open brood-rearing patches and woodland for winter food. The species is highly sensitive to disturbance and requires large, undisturbed areas.

The annual highlight is the communal lek of the cocks on traditional display grounds. In the early morning and evening hours, cocks engage in ritualised fights with raised tail feathers, bubbling song and metre-high display jumps. The traditional spring lek hunt at the display ground is still part of hunting culture in the Alpine region, where the populations are continuously distributed. In Germany, black grouse remains a huntable species under federal hunting law but currently has year-round closed season, which turns the legal status into an obligation to manage and protect habitat. Major threats include habitat loss through drainage, afforestation and land-use change, together with rising predation pressure.