Ruffed Grouse
Ruffed Grouse has edged up: up 14% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Ruffed Grouse
The Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) is a North American member of the Pheasants, Grouse & Turkeys (Phasianidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the game birds.
- Size
- 12–47 in long (30–120 cm) — a ground-dwelling game bird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Fields, brushland, prairie and the forest floor, where it forages and nests on the ground.
- Diet
- Seeds, grain, buds, leaves and insects gathered on the ground.
- Range
- Recorded on 849 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 34 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Family
- Phasianidae · Game birds
Notable Ruffed Grouse Trends
No notable trend signals for Ruffed Grouse. See the full index history below.
Ruffed Grouse Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Ruffed Grouse is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.07 (95% range 0.03–0.10). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±21.8%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.07 | 0.03 | 0.10 |
| 2026 | 0.07 | 0.03 | 0.10 |
| 2027 | 0.07 | 0.03 | 0.10 |
| 2028 | 0.07 | 0.03 | 0.10 |
| 2029 | 0.07 | 0.03 | 0.10 |
Where the Ruffed Grouse Is Detected
BBS routes recording Ruffed Grouse, sized by most recent count.
Ruffed Grouse Population Trend by State
| Alaska | +37% | 1993 | 28 |
| Arkansas | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| California | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
| Connecticut | -65% | 1973 | 10 |
| Georgia | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Idaho | -31% | 1978 | 21 |
| Indiana | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Iowa | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Kentucky | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Maine | -54% | 1968 | 65 |
| Maryland | -30% | 1981 | 12 |
| Massachusetts | -56% | 1968 | 17 |
| Michigan | +377% | 1970 | 68 |
| Minnesota | +77% | 1969 | 54 |
| Montana | +153% | 1972 | 38 |
| Nevada | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| New Hampshire | -88% | 1968 | 24 |
| New Jersey | -15% | 1982 | 8 |
| New York | +101% | 1968 | 88 |
| North Carolina | -41% | 1995 | 11 |
| North Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Ohio | -40% | 1974 | 19 |
| Oregon | +52% | 1971 | 48 |
| Pennsylvania | -82% | 1968 | 74 |
| Rhode Island | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| South Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Tennessee | insufficient data | n/a | 7 |
| Utah | -66% | 1978 | 18 |
| Vermont | -19% | 1968 | 24 |
| Virginia | -18% | 1969 | 23 |
| Washington | -64% | 1970 | 44 |
| West Virginia | -60% | 1972 | 36 |
| Wisconsin | +99% | 1968 | 71 |
| Wyoming | -49% | 1980 | 18 |
Ruffed Grouse Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 4 | +41% | 1993 | 24 |
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -84% | 1970 | 46 |
| Great Basin | -42% | 1972 | 32 |
| Northern Rockies | +141% | 1971 | 101 |
| Prairie Potholes | -85% | 1979 | 8 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | +165% | 1968 | 118 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | -56% | 1969 | 43 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | -37% | 1968 | 137 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | -16% | 1978 | 15 |
| Badlands and Prairies | +82% | 1998 | 6 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | -13% | 1968 | 69 |
| Appalachian Mountains | -77% | 1968 | 207 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | -85% | 1968 | 32 |
Ruffed Grouse Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 14% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.