Spruce Grouse
Spruce Grouse has edged down: down 24% on the route-weighted index since 1978.
About the Spruce Grouse
The Spruce Grouse (Canachites canadensis) 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 39 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 8 states, most concentrated in the BCR 4.
- Family
- Phasianidae · Game birds
Notable Spruce Grouse Trends
No notable trend signals for Spruce Grouse. See the full index history below.
Spruce Grouse Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Spruce Grouse is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.00 (95% range 0.00–0.00). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±130.6%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2026 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2027 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2028 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 2029 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Where the Spruce Grouse Is Detected
BBS routes recording Spruce Grouse, sized by most recent count.
Spruce Grouse Population Trend by State
| Alaska | -83% | 1988 | 19 |
| Idaho | +88% | 2003 | 4 |
| Maine | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Michigan | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Minnesota | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Montana | insufficient data | n/a | 7 |
| New York | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Washington | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
Spruce Grouse Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 4 | -66% | 1995 | 12 |
| Northern Rockies | -54% | 1995 | 12 |
Spruce Grouse Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 24% since 1978.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.