Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus)

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Abundance: Very Uncommon at all seasons; recorded in 15 Regional counties, 3 in Kentucky and 12 in Tennessee (Map of UCR Distribution); the resident population is probably decreasing, but evidence is too thin to make a reliable determination of the population trend (see Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Permanent Resident; photograph (Harold Bright; Overton County, Tennessee; 29 May 2005).

Regional High Count and/or SBC/SBB High Count: 5 (5–6 May 1962; Cumberland County, Tennessee [SBC]; m.ob. [Note: a 2-day count]; and 1 August 1995; John Muir Trail from Divide Rd. to Maud's Crack, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Scott County, Tennessee; Stephen J. Stedman; Stedman and Stedman 2002; and 15 April 1998; Obed Wild and Scenic River, Morgan County, Tennessee; Barbara H. Stedman; Stedman and Stedman 2002); CBC/CBB High Count: 2 (23 December 2006; Brady Mountain, Cumberland County, Tennessee [CBC]; Stephen J. Stedman); FBC/FBB High Count: 1 (2 October 2010; McCreary County, Kentucky [FBB]; Barbara H. Stedman).

Breeding: Confirmed (Recent).

Habitat: x

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: Registered on 0 (of 125) monthly check-lists during 2003 and registered on 4 (of 206) monthly check-lists during 2004, leading to a YardWatch frequency classification of Rare during the latter year; this YardWatch frequency classification indicates that the grouse was less frequently encountered in Regional yards and neighborhoods than in the Region as a whole, a completely expected result of this project.

Foray Results: A summary of data from UCR Forays follows (to view a map displaying foray data for a county or a sub-Region for this species, click on the name of an underlined county or state below):

* Because some foray blocks fall into two or three counties, the total of blocks in the Kentucky or Tennessee portions of the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the counties of each portion of the Region; similarly, because some blocks fall into both states, the total of blocks for the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the two states.

Remarks: The grouse is a difficult species to count in more than single digit numbers, especially considering that young birds attended by an adult may not be included in counts of this species that are used in determining the high count.  Thus, the Regional High Count (above) is quite low and likely to remain that way.

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Literature Cited