The male black grouse, or blackcock, must be one of our most handsome birds. About the size of a hen pheasant, it has a distinctive red wattle above the eye and predominantly black plumage tinted with a deep blue on the neck and back. Contrasting sharply with this are the white wing stripe and undertail feathers that are especially obvious when the lyre-shaped tail is fanned out in display.
The female, or greyhen, is about two-thirds smaller and drab in comparison, with only a forked tail. Its grey-brown plumage has an intricate barred pattern that allows
