I wanted to see if someone could tell me how can you tell the difference between a male or female ruffed grouse?
Thank you
Tim
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I couldn't resist. I'm not the expert, but I think it has something to do with it's black feathers on it's breast. Again, I'm no expert, so don't rip on me too hard, I'm actually eager to see the answer to this one. Pete
If the birds are mature, the dark band on the tail
feathers will be solid across the fan in females;
in males the center 3 feathers(Tail Primaries) will
fade out to mottled gray or brown- depending on the
overall color phase of the bird.
The dark band will be solid(or nearly solid) on the MALES. On the females the band will be broken by the center TWO feathers being more mottled, it's very destinct that the band is not solid. The tail feathers are called rectrices, not tail primaries. The length of the tail feathers is also a good indicator of sex, the rectrices of the males are noticably longer, but you almost have to have both in hand to make the comparison.
While most females do have a broken tail band, so do many males. Another method to determine the sex is to pluck a feather on the rump near the hip. One white spot near the tip indicates a female. Two or more white spots indicate a male. Here is a link to the photo of two rump feathers. http://www.hunt101.com/showphoto.php?photo=268295 A hint of orange or red in the eyelid indicate a male. Central tail feathers of an adult male will almost always measure greater that six inches. Adult females less than six.
Any of these characteristics standing alone, presents a gray area of overlap between male and female. When viewed in combination the procedure is reliable enough for a hunters needs. These are excerpts of articles I have accumulated over the years. I would credit where they came from, but I just have the clippings. The photo of the rump feathers is mine from grouse I have taken.
have a fresh bird this always works...not so sure about a thawed out bird. just spread the feathers away from the cloaca?(I am not sure if that is the right name), and gently squeeze on either side. if something snaky appears, its a boy grouse. it can be as thin as a paper clip wire, or thicker depending on the age of the bird. it is ussually a lighter color...yellow to white or grey. I use this on really young prairie chickens and sharptails when hunting during the beggining of the season. I always have used the tail band on ruffed grouse, but from the posts above it seems like that might not be entirely accurate. Like I said , I have only used this within a few hours of killing a bird so I dont know how it works after it has been frozen, but the penis never lies.
for gods sake.look at the top of the head the males have feathers that stand up the female dont
Female ruffed grouse also have crest feathers. Joeyfont's reply is the most accurate check it out.
I just wanted to thank everyone for their inputs. I was always curious about identifying the difference between the sexes.
Thanks,
Tim