The Bizarre Grouse of the Scottish Highlands | BBC Earth

In the Scottish pinewoods, the rare bird Capercaillie makes an appearance.
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[@ydin9]

Calling these birds shy is a bit of a misconception, near the mating spring the males become insanely fearless, territorial and bold, bold enough to attack people, even cars. Speaking as someone thats been chased by at least 2 of these. Fascinating creatures never the less.

[@FrankyboyLegend]

Yeah, David Attenborough was attacked by one as well.

[@mbabcock111]

Like this. Starts at 6:00......... kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHOmiaape9FqiLM Aggressive and confrontational!!!

[@babelKONI]

Yeah but I bet their breath isn't cleaner than a human's

[@CommissarKozlov]

These things can be vicious AF. They bite and beat the fuck out of you with their wings.

[@nnggghhaa3709]

odin9 you should've led the bird into the kitchen

[@Solinaru]

humans: Look at this bird, marvelous and majestic! wood grouse: YE! GIT BACK 'ERE FUR A BEATING!

[@Takeshi357]

"SQUARE UP"

[@Ballu12345]

🤣

[@technologic21]

::human backs away:: Grouse: U F-ING WOT?!

[@TravisBickleCab]

It's so noisy but quiet at the same time. Like screaming under your breath.

[@mbabcock111]

Like a ventriculocordectomy (debarking) on a Pomeranian perhaps?

[@gennadidicaprio2108]

Beautiful right

[@giovanna722]

@@mbabcock111 I had to look that one up. Yikes. But why a Pomeranian, specifically?

[@danyb8078]

Very similar to spruce grouse here in Canada.

[@celeb1723]

These beak sounds are really satisfying to me , am I the only one?

[@danielapr787]

Yuvaez nope they’re true

[@sparky3845]

I find those clacking and sifting noises to be very interesting to hear too, so you're not alone.

[@insanecuckooman8342]

yes

[@BanterrClaus]

I love them too

[@islami658]

Sounds like a wild pig

[@ianjthompson4715]

The Capercaillie has been protected as a Schedule 1 Species protected by law in Scotland since 2001, and it breeds and nests in the Caladonian Pine Forests in the Highlands of Scotland.

[@nbandpinportugal]

Did they once inhabit the whole of the UK and could they be reintroduced further south do you think ?

[@robokill387]

The problem is the UK is that there is so little natural habitat for them. Most land in the UK is intensively farmed.

[@jamends1220]

I've recently got addicted to watching these birds attack Russians. They truely are majestic creatures.

[@allylou8514]

LoL 😂 I seen to💖👍

[@carolhansen4657]

Me too!

[@tonilehtonen1958]

Once you're done with watching the Russian ones, watch the Finnish ones for real entertainment ;)

[@brienfoaboutanything9037]

Thats amazing information about Grouse: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJfclmirYqyMlas

[@doommagic]

So it's not just me who fell down that random rabbit hole. Or capercaillie hole, I guess. Don't even know how I got started on it because I wasn't watching bird videos originally.

[@kovaMOO]

Wow this bird prints faster than my photocopying machine

[@--Paws--]

They are like the Spruce Grouse around the Northwest in the US. They too congregate and dance in the forest like noisy woodland fairies.

[@basicmobile6270]

My favorite grouse are the sharp tailed grouse. How they stomp their feet! Its so cute.

[@ChristineInNornia]

Wow❤️

[@sparky3845]

That's right. Besides, I wish woodland fairies existed. What if they did? What would the forests be like if there were any?

[@mr.d00m37]

The two species resemble each other in habitat, appearance and behaviour due to to convergent evolution.

[@spindalis79]

Greater Prairie-Chickens, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Greater Sage Grouse, Gunnison Sage Grouse, and Lesser Prairie Chickens form similar leks in North America.

[@telyneg3895]

It's such a shame that numbers have declined - such an amazing bird

[@Silverstain]

Thankfully the nordic countries and russia are one big pine forest so they can easily survive

[@robokill387]

@@serenatheswan7296 Yes it is a bird.

[@Edwin-nh8gk]

These birds also live in Finland and are the greatest bird you can see or possibly hunt. Truly a beautiful thing of nature.

[@identytarysta2892]

Unfortunately these birds become very rare in Poland where I live. Hunting on this specie is illegal here since 80s but still it doesnt help well.

[@Edwin-nh8gk]

@Richard Schiffman Well I hunt it for food, so I agree with you.

[@grantcritchfieldstexastrai7072]

Mother Nature never disappoints those that immerse themselves in it

[@anishr3351]

Nice

[@Lazarus-aap]

Well put and very true

[@Prometheushighaf]

There are some disappointing aspects to nature, open your eyes

[@thesorrow96]

stfu

[@ellisgill1337]

Her grasp loosens a little more every day because of us. We are constantly weakening her ability to do so. Less than 1% left is crazy.

[@Lazarus-aap]

That weird clicking noise was very cool.. Beautiful bird

[@akinoz]

Their sound is so satisfying.

[@BottingIsWhatIdo]

Sort of remind of a hybrid hen, falcon looking bird, never had i seen it before.. Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me

[@fraser_mr2009]

they are related to geese, hence why they are fearless. hens were bred by humans. they kind behave the same way: the way that they flick their heads kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKHFdKVrbJyFf5I

[@earthcat]

They remind me of a wild turkey

[@Alberto-xz7th]

This is my favourite species of bird. It was always a dream of mine as a kid to see one of these in person. Sadly they are now close to going extinct in northwest Spain.

[@chickenfries23585]

"GROUSE?!"-Scott the Woz

[@ogreface8]

I had a nightmare that one of these was chasing me.

[@parusol235]

So that’s the bird some Russian dude was messing with on a hunting trip

[@lanserger16]

Exactly. These birds are doing well in Russia, thanks to the most of our country being one large thick pine wood. Here they are least concerned and are a very popular game amongst hunters thanks to their delicious meat.

[@deaganachomarunacathasaigh4344]

I love this bird. They were once native to Ireland. Hopefully in the coming years the Capaill Coille will return to Irish forests

[@earthcat]

Conas a ta tu?

[@deaganachomarunacathasaigh4344]

@@earthcat Tá mé an mhaith go raibh maith agat agus tú féin? Is deas bualadh le comhchainteoir Gaeilge ar KZbin

[@ianswift3521]

Probably will do. Busybody misanthropic animal rights activist types love to meddle in things like that and reintroduced human-extirpated species. A recent example would be the tasmanian devil and the platypus.

[@Ripplin]

If you want to hear this bird without music or people talking over it, a great source is the special Highlands: Scotland's Wild Heart.

[@birding99]

I'm impressed with the call! what a strange sound! It sounds like just breathing.

[@slusorama]

Protect the capercaillie. There's only 2000 left

[@phillipayoung10]

That bird is beautiful and proud of it. The babies are too cute.

[@godwinadedoyin8742]

I love the scenery of the Scottish Highlands.

[@Oro-Laeji]

They are called Tiur in Norwegian (at least where I am from as they have several names). A pretty bird to look at, but can easily be a living nightmare to deal with (mostly the males).

[@fabia.3697]

Beautiful nature

[@Techtastisch]

The ASMR Bird :D

[@gartengeflugel924]

Du hier? Nice

[@roopalgupta7256]

Accurate

[@delete---7593]

No.

[@prettyprudent5779]

I have a new fascination with birds - especially the tropical birds of paradise (found in New Guinea 🇬🇳) ♥️🙂🇺🇸

[@CatcherSpartan]

I just watched some Russian dude messing with one of these birds. Really cool birds

[@HoloTWWOriginal]

Imagine hearing this at night in total darkness and not knowing what it is lol

[@pplayer666]

"2 thousand left" - There are millions of them in Russia, I'm sure Britain could import some of these glorious knuckleheads if it really wanted to. Catching them is anything but a chore considering they seem to fear virtually nothing.

[@doommagic]

They mentioned that the pine forests are disappearing in Scotland, so if there's no natural habitat for them to survive in, they wouldn't last for too long even if they were brought over. Gotta work on bringing back the trees first.

[@godwinadedoyin8742]

Capercaillies are one of the most beautiful and extraordinary species of grouse I have ever seen.

[@stephaniesiemens9927]

One of my very favorite birds...love the shape of his head and beak.

[@johnnywalker7961]

I never seen that bird before and chick are so cute

[@joroivanov5400]

I think that these were the females actually

[@wordreet]

Those "chicks" are actually the females, just half the size of the male, unusual among bird species.

[@w7class]

I have to admit that the big boobed sage grouse is more bizzare..

[@wordreet]

@@w7class Hah! Yes, and it's the male that appears to have feathery boobs!!! X¬D

[@spindalis79]

Very sexually dimorphic species. Great-tailed Grackles are very similar.

[@Rainkit]

Sounds like they need to plant more pine

[@Asdfghjkl-ls1or]

AKArainkit so true :)

[@garyt4394]

It is indeed a thing, it's called 'Rewilding Scotland'. Check out the Scottish charity 'Trees for Life', both here on KZbin and VIA Google. Incidentally, areas of rewilding are taking off all over the planet, so maybe there is hope?

[@Asdfghjkl-ls1or]

Gary T yeh for example the browser Ecosia is pretty popular so I think rewilding is gaining momentum and rightfully so

[@garyt4394]

@@Asdfghjkl-ls1or - Thank you for your reply. I'll check the browser out, all the best :)

[@Asdfghjkl-ls1or]

Gary T it’s my pleasure :)

[@americanstafford1800]

Nice! Capercaillies are called "Auerhahn " in Austria. An impressive bird!

[@lt.martincastillo5122]

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗰𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲? 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀!

[@jamamafegan4382]

The ancient Caledonian pine forests are truly magical places but they are struggling without the return of top predators to the ecosystem such as wolves and lynx. Hopefully these animals will return to these lands.

[@bohdaj]

we could send you some bears or wolves from Slovakia - it is not that i dont like them - on the contrary :-)) i love them, but hunters dont and they cannot help themselves but have to kill them every year even though there are not so many of them (people are many). If i could, I would send the excess of them to the other countries where they want them....

[@jamesperkins2552]

I don’t understand how these creatures aren’t extinct. They approach and attack fearlessly. Thing is, it’s the size of a chicken. Yo could just stomp on it and eat it...why?

[@Whitelynx91]

Majestic birds 😃

[@VixenAurora]

Such a lovely sound they make!

[@superdumpfback4041]

They are critically endangered in Europe

[@JibbAlbin]

In Sweden we have approximately 700 000 of them. Some are transported to Germany every year.

[@superdumpfback4041]

@@JibbAlbin Nice so the population is still stable there. In Germany a lot of these birds have been released to the wild over many years, but that didn't work... at some place there were 1000 birds released but a few years later only 12 were left

[@Heikki_Finland]

Not so critically, as we are still allowed to hunt them in Finland.

[@nickdouglas736]

*in some areas. They're quite common in Scandinavia.

[@lanserger16]

In Russia not only are they not endangered but are probably the most popular large feathered wood game. They have incredibly tasty meat which is seasoned by nature itself and has a pine fir-needle flavour thanks to the bird's natural diet. The meat is traditionally served with sour cranberry and cowberry sauce, dill and baked potatoes.

[@baitedlol6972]

Other Birds: Tweet tweet This Bird: DESGUSTANG!

[@nouc1996]

That thumbnail could be a meme lol

[@allylou8514]

Shy...... LoL 😂 you having a laugh I just watched several videos this bird comes flying out of no where up for fight LoL 😂💖scrapy doo of the bird world....this bird is GANGSTA 👊

[@Februaries]

"Pine woods and completely different from any other wood... coz IT'S MY WOOOOOD!"

[@obi-wankenobi140]

"GROUSE?!?!" - Microconsole Buyer Man

[@Kiribbean]

If I worked at a zoo that had one of the males, I'd definitely name him Popcorn. Fascinating calls!

[@bryanaa196]

Weirdly cute. Kyakya!

[@tim.a.k.mertens]

It's like wild turkey crossed with a goose with a razor sharp bill

[@ezhiln380]

I love this beauty

[@mikelittoris1175]

They need big enugh pine forests with some swampy parts in it to get denser populations. Im glad they are strong here in sweden. They have really nice meat.

[@bohdaj]

dont think always of your belly....it will destroy our planet, if people think only of their bellies,....greed etc.. So try to see a magic of life instead

[@wordreet]

Only 2000 left in Scotland, that's sad to hear. But music to the ears of any individual male Capercaillie of course, as it means he will soon be king of all he surveys!! Thankfully, they are not endangered as a species worldwide.

[@iancannon2825]

To bring the birds (& other wildlife back!)... PLANT MORE PINE TREES!!!🙏🙏🙏

[@viktorlundgren1464]

Ian Cannon in sweden the population is increasing there are now 350 000 pairs in the wild. To make you feel better

[@bohdaj]

@@viktorlundgren1464 it is a good news...but sweden is huge, so also huge amount of capercaillie :-))

[@BoomerTheDryocopus]

You mean Capercaillie.

[@iancannon2825]

@@viktorlundgren1464 Oh,that's good to know!!🙃👍Thanks!!🙏🏻👌Peace🕊

[@davejoseph5615]

I don't think you walk into a pine forest without a hat unless you like drips of pine sap in your hair.

[@lorenzschutzinger4619]

1:57 that's not true. They also live in spruce forests, beech forest and fir forests. As long as there are enough blueberries, ants and good habitat

[@icravekoreanbbq5229]

That’s one dank chicken.

[@Niobesnuppa]

Might be rare in the Scottish highlands, but if you go walking or skiing near the woods in Norway during their mating season, these guys will run out and attack you, your friend, your backpack, whatever they percieve as a threat to their romantic escapades.

[@the_once-and-future_king.]

Everyone gangsta til they team up with the emus!

[@dmagic6118]

Beautiful

[@brentkeller3826]

"look at this forest. Now watch this man get his ass handed to him by a wood grouse."

[@kurphyc.danish5669]

If my diet was mostly pine needles, I'd probably be acting like these things too.

[@allylou8514]

Love this bird

[@tokcnyecko6055]

Aw look at the lil turkey raptor

[@dailenth]

Never heard a bird beatboxing before to be honest.

[@firefly361]

I like famous grouse.

[@bryannedelgado6479]

Narrator: “one of the shyest creatures in the forest...” Capercaillie: *SUP FAM! GET OUT OF MY DOMAIN!*

[@charlynnwestin]

I want one so bad!!! These thing could live in Central Canada pretty sure.

[@junodonatus4906]

They belong in their natural habitat, seeing them there is the best way to view wildlife.

[@A-gala-day]

Amazing captured

[@thebluerobot5407]

GROUSE?!

[@EmissaryFromHell_MrFresh]

It looks like an abomination between a rooster and turkey being possesed by a demon

[@Decimo10X]

Strange looking chickens.

[@tifiq]

Decimo10X ha you thought you were gonna get a lot of likes. You thought wrong kid

[@Decimo10X]

Twitch_Tifiq Games Hmm that’s funny loser but that bird does look like a chicken a very weird one not everything is about likes you attention seeking roach.

[@earthcat]

You left out the part about how they hatch out pissed off at the whole world and wanting to kick your arse. Got chased by one whilst hiking.

[@selvakumarselvaraj8493]

Wow 👍

[@Bolt99K]

They’re like Scottish turkeys, thats really cool

[@WorkAlef]

Ah, I see you are a bird of the Bizzare nature as well.

[@rasheedrzfjj7412]

Beautiful bird

[@PaulineThePelecanus]

Capercaillie*

[@blessedman4532]

Very beautiful bird

[@PaulineThePelecanus]

Capercaillie*

[@Max-ke3ty]

Love how they look like they have massive shaggy beards.

[@DVRhm25]

The Scottish Turkey!

[@JuliusCeasar224]

>touching random trees in a pine forest. Its like you want that annoying sap on your fingers

[@aatutuppurainen8190]

in finland this is called an ukkometso

[@photec2212]

these birds tastes good

[@tylerlondon5052]

It sounds like someone dropped a straw directly in front of a microphone at a Ted Nugent concert.

[@kinfire7792]

Yeah you can find these birds all over North America and Asia, the framing of "rare Scottish bird, only found in scotland, almost extinct with only around 2000 left" is pretty disingenuous. Makes me question all the other BBC docs I've watched.

[@Alberto-xz7th]

Exactly. In much of northern Europe they are very common. They also said that they live exclusively in pine forests which isnt true either. in spain for example they tend to inhabit beech forests.

[@rsbrehm]

Sounds like its mocking the sounds of a wild boar.

[@Liuhuayue]

With Christmas around the corner... I wonder if it would make a tasty roast.

[@emmymoo7107]

“Tasty roast”

[@bitturaj8186]

First time I see that

[@critter7052]

It looks like a Scottish 🦃 Turkey. 🤣

[@xdgamer2765]

looks like a cult turkey from a celtic place and is the pet of a hoodie person from a cult, a cult attempting world rule

[@xdgamer2765]

the capercaillie also acted like a cult tribe person aswell, i’m not sure if there’s other’s who know this

[@lenomendoncamendonca4918]

Lindos pássaros.

[@aa-rj7ns]

Bizarre?! Thats just a capercaillie

[@kochang9802]

I'd also like to encounter this rare kind of bird _is it a bird?_

[@sofija1996]

It is a bird. It belongs to the same family as pheasants (Phasianidae) and same order as domestic chickens (Galliformes). They are very rare except maybe in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, but their numbers are probably declining there as well.

[@Son96601]

@@sofija1996 what does the 'same order' mean

[@iancannon2825]

Kochang... No, it's a hippopotamus!🤗...Of course it's a bird! Duh!😬😣

[@sofija1996]

It's a word used in taxonomy (biological science that puts all living things into different categories). Long story short, the capercaillie and the chicken are very distant cousins.

[@Lollemaster]

Are you the butterfly meme?

[@marceloho1984]

Cute and vicius.

[@jewittm]

2000 capercaillie left and they’re all on KZbin attacking people

[@LunarRomantic]

It reminds me of a plastic soda bottle, like a big one, and I just hear a pop noice XD.

[@celticrebel5229]

Only ever seen one while up in Scotland these birds are nutty asf

[@parishsingh2690]

Capercaillie are likes wild chickens

[@williamsegersten9061]

But a lot bigger

[@Tantemify]

1% looks huge to me.

[@pastaroni8683]

GROUSE!?

[@TalenGryphon]

It looks like some kind of attack turkey and sounds like someone aggressively playing with the lid of a Snapple bottle

[@kerianhalcyon2769]

Really sad that this vid is so misleading. Google Capercallie or "Wood Grouse" and the wikipedia lists it as Least Concern, with its range spreading all across the northern Eurasian continent. But i guess if your goal is to remove humans from the equation and forcibly expand habitat at the expense of the adoring public you're wooing, then "2000" in a small patch of forest in Scotland is a good enough number.