Hazel grouse

Tetrastes bonasia
Red Data Book of Ukraine — vulnerableNatura 2000Hunting is prohibited
Hazel grouse
Photo: Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, CC BY, iNaturalist · photo: Фінляндія
Hazel grouse
Photo: Tokumi, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Hazel grouse
Photo: Scosse, CC BY-SA, Wikimedia Commons

About

The Hazel grouse is the smallest of the forest grouse in the Carpathians. It lives in mixed and coniferous forests with dense underbrush, spruce, alder, hazel, and berry bushes, often near streams and on overgrown clearings. It occurs in all Carpathian countries, from the foothills to the upper limit of the forest.

The bird is the size of a pigeon, mottled, grayish-brown with reddish and white spots, and has a small crest. The male has a black throat bordered with white, while the female has a light throat. The Hazel grouse stays on the ground, but when in danger, it takes off with a loud flutter and perches on a branch closer to the trunk, where it is almost invisible.

Hazel grouse live in pairs and maintain their territory all year round. Their voice is a thin prolonged whistle, which can easily be mistaken for a bird's trilling. In summer, the birds eat berries, seeds, buds, and insects; chicks primarily need insects. In winter, they feed on buds and catkins of alder, birch, and hazel, and to escape the cold, they roost buried in the snow.

The female makes a nest on the ground, under a bush or a fallen trunk, and incubates the chicks, which can run after her just a few days after hatching.

The Hazel grouse is listed in the Red Book of Ukraine as a vulnerable species, and hunting it is prohibited.

Where in the Carpathians

fewermore873 records in the Carpathians

The map shows where naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records), not every place it lives. The Ukrainian Carpathians are less studied, so a blank area does not mean the species is absent.

Countries
Ukraine · Slovakia · Poland · Romania · Czechia · Hungary
Mountain ranges
Chornohora, Skole Beskids, Volovec Mountains, Gorgany, High Tatras, Bieszczady, Western Tatras, Maramureș Mountains, Upper Dniester Beskids, Gorce
Altitude belts
Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m) · Conifer forests (1200–1600 m)

When to see it

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Sightings

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Protection and rules

Hunting is prohibited: the species is listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Red Data Book of Ukraine

FAQ

Does the Hazel grouse live in the Carpathians?

Yes, the Hazel grouse lives in mixed and coniferous forests with dense underbrush in all Carpathian countries. It reveals itself with a thin prolonged whistle.

Is the Hazel grouse listed in the Red Book of Ukraine?

Yes, as a vulnerable species; hunting it is prohibited.

Similar species

Western capercaillieRed Data Book of UkraineWestern capercaillieTetrao urogallusThe largest forest bird of the Carpathians, whose spring display is one of the wonders of the mountain forest. A disappearing species listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.
Black grouseRed Data Book of UkraineBlack grouseLyrurus tetrixA black bird with a lyre-shaped tail that displays at dawn. It has survived only in some areas of the Ukrainian Carpathians.

Where to meet it

Trails

To Yalynskyi WaterfallEasyOne-dayMarkedTo Yalynskyi WaterfallElevation profile453–1 047 m4.6 km≈ 1 h walkingYalynskyi Waterfall – Dilove villageEasyOne-dayMarkedYalynskyi Waterfall Dilove villageElevation profile393–1 030 m8.2 kmascent 7 m≈ 2 h walkingDilove village – Yalynskyi WaterfallModerateOne-dayMarkedDilove village Yalynskyi WaterfallElevation profile346–1 063 m7.6 kmascent 716 m≈ 3.5 h walkingDilove village, via Lysycha polonyna to Mount Pip Ivan MarmaroskyiHardTwo-dayMarkedDilove village to Mount Pip Ivan Marmaroskyivia Lysycha polonynaElevation profile346–1 936 m19.4 kmascent 1 663 m≈ 8 h walkingDilove village – Mount Pip Ivan MarmaroskyiHardTwo-dayMarkedDilove village Mount Pip Ivan MarmaroskyiElevation profile347–1 936 m18 kmascent 1 650 m≈ 8 h walkingDilove village, via Yalynskyi Waterfall to Shchavora polonynaModerateTwo-dayDilove village to Shchavora polonynavia Yalynskyi WaterfallElevation profile346–1 338 m16.3 kmascent 1 042 m≈ 6 h walking
Zaroslyak base – Mount ShpytsiModerateOne-dayMarkedZaroslyak base Mount ShpytsiElevation profile1 134–1 863 m6.9 kmascent 743 m≈ 3 h walkingZaroslyak base – Mount ShpytsiEasyOne-dayMarkedZaroslyak base Mount ShpytsiElevation profile1 128–1 863 m6.1 kmascent 758 m≈ 3 h walkingDilove village, via Mount Pip Ivan Marmaroskyi and Mount Zherban to Dilove villageHardMulti-dayMarkedDilove village loopvia Mount Pip Ivan Marmaroskyi, Mount ZherbanElevation profile346–1 936 m50.5 kmascent 1 783 mBystrets village – Maryshevska polonyna – Mount ShpytsiModerateOne-dayMarkedBystrets village Mount Shpytsivia Maryshevska polonynaElevation profile768–1 931 m12.4 kmascent 1 163 m≈ 5.5 h walkingZaroslyak base – Mount Shpytsi – Mount Rebra – Zaroslyak baseModerateTwo-dayMarkedZaroslyak base loopvia Mount Shpytsi, Mount RebraElevation profile1 130–1 931 m15.2 kmascent 870 m≈ 5.5 h walkingZaroslyak base – Mount HoverlaEasyOne-dayMarkedZaroslyak base Mount HoverlaElevation profile1 266–2 061 m3.2 kmascent 795 m≈ 2.5 h walking

Peaks and meadows

Mount Mahura (Shepit)PeakMount Mahura (Shepit)Dolishnii Shepitaltitude 1 313 m · Pokuttia-Bukovyna Carpathians rangeMahura is a 1,313 m mountain in the Pokuttia-Bukovyna Carpathians, on the Dovhyi Hrun ridge.Mount LunhulPeakMount LunhulRuskaaltitude 1 377 mLunhul is a 1,377 m summit (1,377.4 m exactly) in the Pokuttia-Bukovyna Carpathians.Polonyna GadzhinaMountain meadowPolonyna GadzhinaBystretsIt seemed that the Chornohora massif was literally crowded with people, but sometimes you can come across places that...Polonyna Pozhizhevska (Pozhizhevskaya)Mountain meadow1 500 mPolonyna Pozhizhevska (Pozhizhevskaya)Nadvirna districtPolonyna lies at an altitude of 1382-1822 meters. The Pozhyzhevska meadow lies at the foot of the mountain of the...Mount Tomnatyk (Yalovychory)Mountain meadow1 565 mMount Tomnatyk (Yalovychory)SarataTomnatyk is a 1,565 m mountain in the Yalovychory Mountains, on the Tomnatykul ridge.Polonyna LysychaMountain meadow1 477 mPolonyna LysychaDiloveThe Lysycha valley is located on the Marmoroska ridge of the Carpathians.
Polonyna ShchivkaMountain meadow1 200 mPolonyna ShchivkaYaremcheThe Shchivka meadow has a very good location. Its length is about 700 meters, it has a slight slope, which protects...Mount SinyachkaPeakMount SinyachkaYaremchealtitude 1 400 m · Gorgany range10 trails to the topMount Sinyachka is a 1400-meter peak in the Gorgan mountain range of the Ukrainian Carpathians, located in the...Mount Magura, TatarivPeakMount Magura, TatarivTatarivaltitude 1 288 m · Gorgany rangeMagura (1288 m) is a forested ridge in the Gorgany range between Tatariv, Yablunytsia and Vorokhta, within the...Polonyna ZakukulMountain meadow1 430 mPolonyna ZakukulVorokhtaPolonyna Zakukul lies on the south-eastern slope of Mount Kukul (1539 m), the highest summit of the ridge of the same...Polonyna MaryshevskaMountain meadow1 290 mPolonyna MaryshevskaBystretsMaryshevska Polonyna is a small mountain pasture on a north-eastern spur of Chornohora, in the group of Velyka (1,567...Polonyna KhomyakovMountain meadow1 295 mPolonyna KhomyakovTatarivYou can climb here from the Guk waterfall even in a short winter day, spend the night, and in the morning go to the...

Waters and waterfalls

Bila Tysa RiverRiverBila Tysa RiverBohdanThe Bila Tysa rises on the south-western slopes of Chornohora, where the Stohovets and Balzatul streams meet, and...PrutRiverPrutKryvopilliaThe Prut River is a river that connects several countries and is of great natural, historical and cultural importance.DniesterRiverDniesterVovcheThe Dniester is one of the most famous and largest rivers in Ukraine. The Dniester has been used as an important...Chemernarsky Hook waterfallWaterfallChemernarsky Hook waterfallDolishnii ShepitChemernarsky Huk Waterfall is a small but very beautiful waterfall located in the village of Dolishniy Shepit,...Chemernarsky waterfall Lower HookWaterfallChemernarsky waterfall Lower HookDolishnii ShepitThe Chemernarsky Lower Hook Waterfall (also known as Lower Shepit) is located in Dolishnyi Shepit, in the western...Stryi RiverRiverStryi RiverTurkaThe Stryi is one of the largest Carpathian tributaries of the Dniester: 232 km from its source between Mount Yavirnyk...
Mountain Polyanytske Lake (Dead Lake)LakeMountain Polyanytske Lake (Dead Lake)BukovetsMountain Lake (another name - Dead Lake) is a picturesque mountain lake of natural origin in the Ukrainian...White CheremoshRiverWhite CheremoshUsterikyThe White Cheremosh is one of the most beautiful and important rivers in the Ukrainian Carpathians.Bystrytsia Solotvynska RiverRiverBystrytsia Solotvynska RiverSolotvynThe Bystrytsia Solotvynska rises at about 1,390 m at the foot of Mala Syvulia and Bystryk, near the Peklo cliffs in...

Mountain ranges: Chornohora, Skole Beskids, Gorgany, Bieszczady, Maramureș Mountains, Upper Dniester Beskids. In other countries: 🇸🇰 Volovec Mountains, 🇸🇰 High Tatras, 🇸🇰 Western Tatras, 🇵🇱 Gorce, 🇵🇱 Babia Góra, 🇨🇿 Moravian-Silesian Beskids, 🇸🇰 Low Tatras, 🇵🇱 Żywiec Beskids

Trails and peaks near which naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, iNaturalist), matched by altitude and habitat. Sightings are not guaranteed.

Sources

GBIF · iNaturalist · Wikidata · Distribution data: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY records), iNaturalist; names and identifiers: Wikidata (CC0). Text: Karpaty.rocks, checked 09.11.2026.