Spruce Grouse, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska

Male spruce grouse patrols the forest floor, in fall, Wrangell - St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

The male Spruce Grouse is a striking bird native to the forests of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska. With a distinctive black and white barred plumage and a fluffy red "beard," the male Spruce Grouse is a handsome and distinctive sight in the Alaskan wilderness.

As a forest-dwelling bird, the Spruce Grouse is well adapted to life in the trees, where it feeds on a diet of buds, leaves, and berries.

Falcipennis canadensis. Photo © copyright by Carl Donohue.

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