Pa. game commission seeking genetic info on 'tame' ruffed grouses
Mar. 6—Have you been harassed by Pennsylvania's state bird? The game commission wants to know.
No, seriously.
In the spring and fall, some ruffed grouses exhibit what wildlife experts refer to as "tame" behavior. Despite being completely wild animals, they show very little fear around people and will sometimes even act aggressively, pecking at ankles and flying right at humans.
"He's never been handled by people, or fed," Pennsylvania Game Commission ruffed grouse biologist Lisa Williams says in a 2021 video as a male bird slinks around behind her, giving what can only be referred to as the ornithological version of "side eye."
"Some people think they're 'drunk' on berries, that's one of the old tales," Williams said. "The other theory about these 'tame' birds is that they're a genetic throwback to the old, pre-settlement genetics of grouse. If you read settler accounts, ruffed grouse was a much calmer, docile bird."
Williams said the 'tame' behavior is likely the bird telling an intruder to buzz off.
"One theory is that they're being hyper-territorial," she said.
Research into this behavior is why the commission wants to know about 'tame' grouse sightings. Biologists from the commission as well as Penn State University want to try and determine if the state's grouse population shows signs of splitting into distinct sub-populations, and if the "tame" behavior is linked to genetics.
Commission officials said the study can also help determine whether to make any changes to their grouse management practices, in order to improve and maintain the population.
Pennsylvanians who encounter a "tame" grouse are asked to report the location by sending an email to grousecomments@pa.gov. The behavior is pretty easy to spot:
Ideally, a report should also contain GPS coordinates if possible, or as much detail about the location of the encounter in terms of county, township, property address or nearest road intersection. Field staff will then visit those locations to capture birds and collect a genetic sample.
"You may be familiar with mail-order kits where a simple saliva sample or mouth swab can unlock all kinds of information about your own ancestry or information about the breed background of your dog," said game commission grouse biologist Reina Tyl. "We'll be sampling these 'tame' grouse in essentially the same way, swabbing their mouth and sending the swab off for genetic analysis."
All grouse that are tested will be released immediately afterward at the same sites they were captured.
The more birds the game commission can sample, the better, which is why public participation is so important to the project, Tyl said.
Williams said the behavior usually only lasts a few weeks, during the peak breeding season, "and often these birds don't live that long, because they're sometimes a little too brave for their own good."
The ruffed grouse has been Pennsylvania's state bird since 1931. Ruffed grouse hunting season takes place on limited days between mid-October and late December.
Patrick Varine is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Patrick by email at pvarine@triblive.com or via Twitter .
