Red grouse
| Red grouse | |
|---|---|
| Male red grouse in the Cheviot Hills in Northumberland | |
| Song and calls recorded in the UK | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Galliformes |
| Family: | Phasianidae |
| Genus: | Lagopus |
| Species: | L. scotica
|
| Binomial name | |
| Lagopus scotica (Latham, 1787)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Lagopus lagopus scoticus | |
The red grouse (Lagopus scotica) is a medium-sized bird in the grouse family which is found in heather moorland in Great Britain and Ireland.
It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the willow grouse (Lagopus lagopus) but is now considered to be a separate species. It is also known as the moorcock, moorfowl or moorbird. Lagopus is derived from Ancient Greek lagos (λαγος), meaning "hare", + pous (πους), "foot", in reference to the feathered feet and toes typical of this cold-adapted genus, and scotica means "of Scotland".
The red grouse is the emblem of the journal British Birds. The red grouse is also the logo of The Famous Grouse whisky and an animated bird is a character in a series of its advertisements.