Seasonal and Local Weights of Alaskan Spruce Grouse
Ellison LN and Weeden RB. 1979. Seasonal and Local Weights of Alaskan Spruce Grouse. The Journal of Wildlife Management. 43(1):176-183
Alaskan spruce grouse (Canachites canadensis) undergo 2 periods of weight loss, once in winter and again either in spring (males) during the time of intense display or in summer (females) during incubation and brood rearing. Males regain their former weight by August, but hens who have reared broods do not recover their weight until October. Juveniles weigh less than adults in autumn and winter, and these differences are maintained into the summer. A cline of increasing weights exists in populations from Washington northward through Alberta, coastal Alaska, and interior Alaska.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Ellison, Laurence; Weeden, Robert
- Units
- CAKN , DENA , WRST , YUCH
- Keywords
- Birds, Canachites canadensis, Falcipennis canadensis, Grouse, Subarctic