Listen to the western capercaillie
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the western capercaillie
The western capercaillie is a bird in the family Phasianidae (order Galliformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 106 cm and weigh around 2.0 kg.
What does the western capercaillie sound like?
Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once. Songs tend to be long and patterned and are used to hold territory and attract a mate; calls are short signals for contact, alarm and flight.
The recordings here are labelled as auerhahn. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), also known as the Eurasian capercaillie, wood grouse, heather cock, cock-of-the-woods, or simply capercaillie, is a heavy member of the grouse tribe and the largest of all extant grouse species. Found across Europe and the Palearctic, this primarily-ground-dwelling forest grouse is renowned for its courtship display. The bird shows extreme sexual dimorphism, with males nearly twice the size of females. The global population is listed as "least concern" under the IUCN, although the populations of central Europe are declining and fragmented, or possibly extirpated.
The western capercaillie is one of two living species under the genus Tetrao, which also includes the lesser-known black-billed capercaillie.
More from the family Phasianidae
Chicken
Gallus gallus domesticus
Common quail
Coturnix coturnix
Indian peafowl
Pavo cristatus
Common pheasant
Phasianus colchicus
Red junglefowl
Gallus gallus
Black grouse
Lyrurus tetrix
Hazel grouse
Tetrastes bonasia
Wild turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Rock ptarmigan
Lagopus muta
Congo peafowl
Afropavo congensis
Grey junglefowl
Gallus sonneratii
Great argus
Argusianus argus
Frequently asked questions
What does a western capercaillie sound like?
You can hear 2 recordings of the western capercaillie on this page, including its auerhahn. Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once.
Is the western capercaillie endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the western capercaillie as “least concern”.
What family does the western capercaillie belong to?
The western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) belongs to the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.
Sources & credits
- Auerhahn by Jugrü – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) (W1CDR0001418 BD47) – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q129059 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Western capercaillie – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by S. John, Elsterwerda – CC BY-SA 3.0