Red grouse
| Red grouse | |
|---|---|
| Song and calls recorded in the UK | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| 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 of the grouse family which is found in heather moorland in Great Britain and Ireland.
It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the willow ptarmigan (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 logo of The Famous Grouse whisky and an animated bird is a character in a series of its advertisements. The red grouse is also the emblem of the journal British Birds.