Ruffed Grouse

The shy Ruffed Grouse is often found at the side of woodland dirt roads where there is adjacent dense brush into which the bird can quickly dart for cover, and where it is then lost to the observer. Unlike its Spruce Grouse cousin which allows even close approach, the Ruffed Grouse spooks very easily and is commonly inadvertently flushed from its brushy hiding place by an unsuspecting woodland hiker. Unlike the protected Spruce Grouse, the Ruffed Grouse is a commonly hunted game bird. It is the state bird of Pennsylvania.