The world’s largest grouse lives mainly in pine woodland. In Britain, it remains in northern Scotland.
Males are larger, with dark plumage and a red patch around the eye. Females are smaller and more cryptically brown.
Western Capercaillies inhabit forests containing pines and other trees. Adults eat conifer buds and leaves and Vaccinium plants; chicks also depend on insects in ground vegetation.
In southwestern Poland, researchers examined 80 droppings collected from a reintroduced population between May 2014 and April 2015. The 2025 paper distinguished plant parts microscopically. Vaccinium material dominated summer samples, while Scots pine needles dominated autumn and winter samples.
The droppings also contained 4,091 intact seeds. Bilberry seeds were concentrated in July samples and lingonberry seeds in November samples. Some seeds thus retained their shape after passing through the birds, alongside the fragmented remains of other plant parts.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Forestry and Land Scotland identifies fence collisions and human disturbance as threats. It removes deer fences or makes them more visible and manages forests to avoid breeding-season disturbance. Light thinning and avoiding extensive clear-felling help maintain blaeberry and insect-rich ground vegetation.