With All the Grousing About the Lack of Drumming...

[Birdsong]

I have come to realize I don't know my grouse at all. I have a little chick from Washington state last August that I thought was a grouse, but it would be nice to be more specific. I only have a small part of the mother, which I saved because of the expression, I guess. I looked it up tonight and am more confused. Looks like a roughed, or because I was day hiking above Paradise on Mt. Renier, would it be more apt to be a ptarmigan?

Thanks for any help you might have.

[Archerysniper]

ptarmagain maybe it dose not look like a roughed it lookes more like a hen spruce grouse then any thing.

[Birdsong]

Thanks. Don't know why I didn't consider that one, except that in my books it appears quite dark--very different lighting. The Stoke's Guide mentions a Northwest form of the Spruce called Franklin's Grouse, which makes your suggestion pretty reasonable. I wish I had gotten a picture of the tail--probably did and didn't keep it.