Wildlife
Capercaillies found in Scottish woodlands are the biggest species of grouse in the world. They also live in Spain, central Europe, Scandinavia and across Russia to northern Asia. The Scottish population was introduced from Sweden in the 19th century after the local birds became extinct.
Scientific name: Tetrao urogallus
Rank: Species
In order to see this content you need to have an up-to-date version of Flash installed and Javascript turned on.
A rare encounter with a capercaillie
Nature writer Jim Crumley has a close encounter with a capercaillie.
Nature writer Jim Crumley has a close encounter with a capercaillie.
Power struggles
Capercaillies get carried away in the breeding season.
Despite being a British bird, the capercaillie is rarely spotted, so Sir David was delighted to have the opportunity for a close encounter. However, this one got a little closer than he bargained for. The courting capercaillie was so fired up he decided the presenter was another rival that couldn't be tolerated on his patch. The bird was large enough to knock Sir David off his feet.
Courting capers
Showy male capercaillies strut their stuff to attract females.
Showy male capercaillies strut their stuff to attract females.
Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.
The Capercaillie can be found in a number of locations including: Asia, Europe, Russia, United Kingdom. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Capercaillie distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Least Concern
Year assessed: 2009
Classified by: IUCN 3.1
The Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), also known as the Wood Grouse, Heather Cock or Capercaillie pron.: /ˌkæpərˈkeɪli/, is the largest member of the grouse family. The largest known specimen, recorded in captivity, had a weight of 7.2 kg. (15.9 lbs). Found across Europe and Asia, it is renowned for its mating display.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia. If you find the content in the 'About' section factually incorrect, defamatory or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia. For more information on our use of Wikipedia please read our FAQ.
Take a trip through the natural world with our themed collections of video clips from the natural history archive.
David Attenborough's favourite moments
Watch the most memorable moments from an incredible career watching wildlife, chosen by Sir David from the BBC archive.
BBC © 2013 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
Camouflage
Courtship display
Adapted to flying
Herbivorous
Egg layer
Polygynous
Active at birth
Sexual dimorphism