The Ruffed Grouse is widespread throughout Canada's deciduous and mixed-wood forests, with a range spanning the country from the east to the west coast. Both the Christmas Bird Count and the Breeding Bird Survey indicate that the population has shown little overall change since about 1970. A managed game species throughout its range, there appear to be few conservation concerns. With over 80% of the global breeding population, Canada has a very high responsibility for this species. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
This species is an important game bird in Canada and falls under provincial management regulations. In some regions, Ruffed Grouse populations fluctuate in response to snowshoe hare abundance and associated predator responses (Rusch et al. 2000).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.
