Ruffed Grouse mating dance! | Togwotee Mountain Lodge

Sound on to hear the drumming 🔊 This is the breeding display of the ruffed grouse, the analogue to sage-grouse strutting or sharp-tailed grouse dancing. They are similar to dusky grouse in that they are not in a concentrated lek, but instead form territories. Ruffed grouse will generally find a downed log, their drumming log, and use it to drum on much like a stage. They are not actually hitting the log. But it can sound a little like it if you hear them in person. The sound is just from moving

Have you ever walked in the woods and heard a mysterious thumping sound, like someone trying to start an old engine that won’t quite turn over? You probably heard the unique behavior of a ruffed grouse drumming! Starting around this time of year, male ruffed grouse will jump up on a log, stump or rock and drum. They trap air between their wings and bodies, flapping in faster and faster succession, creating a vacuum of air that creates the characteristic thumping noise. Males use this behavior to