Upland birds
Hazel grouse
Tetrastes bonasia
- Group
- Upland birds
- Size class
- Small (under 10 kg)
- Family
- Phasianidae
Range
- Europe
- Asia
Habitat
- Boreal forest
Range
Countries it is found in
39 countries
- Albania
- Austria
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- China
- Croatia
- Czechia
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Italy
- Japan
- Kazakhstan
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Moldova
- Mongolia
Range from:Wikipedia country bird lists — read 2026-08-05
Chapter 01
Overview
The hazel grouse (Tetrastes bonasia), or hazel hen, is one of the smaller members of the grouse tribe. It is sedentary and breeds across the Palearctic as far east as Hokkaido and as far west as eastern and central Europe, in dense, damp, mixed coniferous woodland — preferably with some spruce in it. Linnaeus described it in 1758 from Sweden. Eleven subspecies are recognised, and the bird sits with the Chinese grouse in the genus Tetrastes.
Chapter 02
Identification
A relatively small grouse at 35–39 cm. The plumage of this plump bird is finely patterned — essentially grey upperparts, brown wings and chestnut-flecked white underparts. The male has a short erectile crest and a white-bordered black throat; the female has a shorter crest and no black on the throat. In flight it shows a black-tipped grey tail. The voice is often what finds the bird first: a high-pitched ti-ti-ti-ti-ti from the male and a liquid tettettettettet from the female, along with the burr of the wings on flushing.
Chapter 03
Behaviour
Hazel grouse nest on the ground, with three to six eggs a normal clutch. The female incubates and cares for the chicks alone, as is typical of gamebirds.
Field data
Tracks
A photograph of real sign left by Hazel grouse. Prints vary with gait, ground and how long they have been there — treat this as one example, not a template.
Track photo:Марат АдиевCC BY
On the table
Meat & cooking
Table grade 5 of 55/5
- Sold as meat in a legal market
- Has a named traditional dish
- Published way to handle and cook it
- Eaten in more than one country
- No known health advisory
Traditional preparations
- Salmis
- The classic French treatment of game birds — roasted briefly, then jointed and finished in a sauce built from the carcass. Salmis — Wikipedia
- Game pie
- Legs and trim, the parts that dry out on a fast roast, go into raised and braised game pies. Game pie — Wikipedia
Sources
Sources: Hazel grouse — Wikipedia — read 2026-08-05
Cross-reference
Related species
Its closest relatives in the compendium, nearest kinship first.
Upland birds
Black grouse
Lyrurus tetrix
Same subfamily (Tetraoninae)
Upland birds
Western capercaillie
Tetrao urogallus
Same subfamily (Tetraoninae)
Upland birds
Rock ptarmigan
Lagopus muta
Same subfamily (Tetraoninae)
Upland birds
Willow ptarmigan
Lagopus lagopus
Same subfamily (Tetraoninae)
Upland birds
Red grouse
Lagopus lagopus scotica
Same subfamily (Tetraoninae)
Upland birds
White-tailed ptarmigan
Lagopus leucura
Same subfamily (Tetraoninae)