Hi Linda,
Your photos show a Sooty Grouse. One of the key field marks to distinguish
between Sooty and Ruffed Grosue is the band at the end of the tail. It is
pale slaty-gray in Sooty, while Ruffed has a broad black subterminal band
with narrow, buffy tips. In both of your photos, the gray band of a Sooty
is clearly visible.
Ruffed also tends to have a more peaked-looking head, due to its little
crest. Your bird shows the rounded head of a typical Sooty.
The pattern on the flanks is another good indication for Sooty – rows of
white spots on a brownish background. Both sexes of Ruffed Grouse show a
pattern of pretty obvious black and white barring on the sides.
Nice photos!
Hendrik
On Thu, Jun 11, 2015 at 1:12 PM, Linda Fink <linda@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
After searching guidebooks and the web, I sent my photo to two good
birders and got opposite answers. If anyone would like to comment with
reasons, I'd be most grateful.
http://lindafink-birdnotes.blogspot.com/2015/06/sooty-or-ruffed-grouse.html
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