Family Pheasants, Partridges, Turkeys, Grouse (Phasianidae)
Least Concern
Black-billed Capercaillie (Tetrao urogalloides)
Taxonomy
French: Tétras à bec noir German: Steinauerhuhn Spanish: Urogallo piquinegro
Other common names:
Spotted Capercaillie
Taxonomy:
Tetrao urogalloides
Middendorff
, 1853,Stanovoy Mountains and shores of Sea of Okhotsk, south-east Russia
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Subspecies and Distribution
T. u. urogalloides
Middendorff, 1853 – E Siberia from lower R Yenisey E to upper R Anadyr, S to Transbaikalia, NE China (Manchuria), Ussuriland and Sikhote-Alin Mts; Sakhalin I.
T. u. kamtschaticus
Kittlitz, 1858 – Kamchatka Peninsula.
T. u. stegmanni
Potapov, 1985 – L Baikal area, Sayan Mts and N Mongolia (from Khangai Mts to Kentei Mts).
Descriptive notes
Male 89–97 cm, female 69–75 cm; male 3350–4580 g, female 1700–2200 g. Similar to T. urogallus, although slightly smaller, with smaller bill,... read more
Voice
Male’s advertising song, a series of rhythmic clicks usually lasting 5–7 seconds (but... read more
Habitat
Distribution related to larch (Larix gmelini = L. dahurica) taiga forest, both in... read more
Food and feeding
Limited information available. Probably has more adaptable winter diet than T. urogallus, largely relying on larch buds and shoots... read more
Breeding
Lays May–Jun, with small young noted as late as end of Jul. Promiscuous; from mid Apr males form ill-defined leks in mature forest.... read more
Movements
Probably sedentary, although very little information available. Altitudinal movements reported from... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Total population estimated at < 100 breeding pairs in China (where listed in national Red Data book) and c. 100,000–1,000,... read more
Scientific name of this species has been given variously as urogalloides or parvirostris, but former is correct#R. Closely related to T. urogallus, with which it frequently hybridizes in limited areas of overlap in basin of R Yenisey. Subspecies name kamtschaticus sometimes spelt erroneously as kamschaticus, but former spelling is the correct original one. Some authors subsume stegmanni within nominate. Birds from various parts of Siberia formerly awarded races turensis (from lower R Tura), janensis (Verkhoyansk) and kolymensis (R Kolyma region), those on Sakhalin I race sachalinensis, and those from Transbaikalia race macrurus; plumage details of this species, however, subject to both clinal and individual variation#R and none of these is regarded as acceptable. Three subspecies currently recognized.