General Description: Sooty Grouse (Dendragapus fuliginosus) are mottled brown, chicken-like birds with a dark tail and a gray terminal tail band. Males have a reddish comb above the eye that can be raised during displays, and they have white feathers on the neck that cover yellow-colored patches of bare skin, which are inflatable during displays. Females are mottled brown above and mottled gray below.

Taxonomy: Galliformes, Phasianidae, Tetraoninae

Favored Habitat: Mountainous areas with conifer trees.

Where to Find: Sooty Grouse occur in the western mountain ranges (e.g., Sierra Nevada, Cascade Mountains) of Washington, Oregon, California, and western Nevada. Look for them on trips to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California.

Comments: The species "Blue Grouse" was split into two species: Sooty Grouse and Dusky Grouse. Sooty Grouse occur in the Pacific states (mountain ranges of Washington, Oregon, California, and western Nevada). Dusky Grouse occur in the Rocky Mountain states as far south as northern Arizona and New Mexico.