5.5K views · 92 reactions | Ruffed Grouse mating dance! | Togwotee Mountain Lodge | Facebook

Sound on to hear the drumming 🔊 This is the breeding display of the ruffed grouse, the analogue to sage-grouse strutting or sharp-tailed grouse dancing. They are similar to dusky grouse in that they are not in a concentrated lek, but instead form territories. Ruffed grouse will generally find a downed log, their drumming log, and use it to drum on much like a stage. They are not actually hitting the log. But it can sound a little like it if you hear them in person. The sound is just from moving

One band, one sound. The drum of a ruffed grouse is a vanishing sound from Virginia's mountainsides as populations of grouse have declined over recent decades. However, there are still areas where grouse can be found and if you are lucky you may hear the tale-tale drum of the male echoing through the hills. Males will perch on "drumming logs" and will rapidly flap his wings on his chest creating a drumming sound to identify his territory and to attract mates. He will return again and again to th