A Hazel Grouse Winter Portrait in Russia - Observation of the Week, 11/30/21

Our Observation of the Week is this Hazel Grouse (Tetrastes bonasia, Рябчик in Russian), seen in Russia by @zveroboy57!

Alexander tells me he’s been interested in nature since he was a child but has only been photographing wildlife seriously since 2013. If you check out the 500+ observations he’s posted to iNaturalist, you’ll see he’s captured many fantastic images of the animals around his home in central Russia.

And in that area, he says, Hazel Grouse are “not uncommon” and he’s often able to find them at watering holes and feeders. This species ranges throughout much of Eurasia and usually eats plants, although it also consumes insects when breeding. Measuring about 35–39 cm (14–15 in) in length, it’s one of the smaller members of the Family Phasianidae, which also contains chickens, peafowl, and pheasants.

Alexander (above, ready to photograph) joined iNaturalist just over three years ago and says “I upload to iNaturalist so that the world knows who lives in my area.”