Ruffed Grouse
Ruffed GrouseRuffed GrouseRuffed GrouseRuffed Grouse

Ruffed Grouse

Bonasa umbellus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered Endemic
<5% · Rare
overall probability at Great Smoky Mountains National Park
70 Verified records at Great Smoky Mountains National Park
June Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is the most widely distributed game bird in North America. It is not migratory. It is the only species in the genus Bonasa. The ruffed grouse is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a "partridge", an unrelated phasianid, and occasionally confused with the grey partridge, a bird of open areas rather than woodlands. The ruffed grouse is the state game bird of Pennsylvania, United States. Wikipedia →

<5% of wildlife watchers report a Ruffed Grouse sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, based on 70 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Wild Turkey
LC Endemic

Wild Turkey

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Meleagris gallopavo

20–30% · Possible
Common Peafowl
LC

Common Peafowl

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pavo cristatus

Insufficient data
Helmeted Guineafowl
LC

Helmeted Guineafowl

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Numida meleagris

Insufficient data
Northern Bobwhite
NT Endemic

Northern Bobwhite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Colinus virginianus

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
<5
Feb
<5
Mar
<5
Apr
<5
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
<5
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
<5
Nov
<5
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
20–30%
2 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
3 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
20–30%
4 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
5 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
6 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
7 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
8 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
9 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
10 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
11 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
12 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
13 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
14 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
15 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
16 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
17 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
18 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
19 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
20 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
21 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
22 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
23 Nahanni National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Ruffed Grouse in Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

About 1% of wildlife watchers report a Ruffed Grouse sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, based on 70 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Ruffed Grouse in Great Smoky Mountains National Park?

June has the highest sighting rate for Ruffed Grouse in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in our monthly data.

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