Black grouse are non-migratory birds, which means they stay here all year round. They prefer damp, raised bogs and heathland with some trees.
What’s more, the animals also like to forage for food in the cultivated lands near the breeding sites. The diet of an adult black grouse consists mainly of plant foods. They feast on the lingonberries found in abundance on the Sallandse Heuvelrug until the depth of winter. However, during the early stage of life, chicks are dependent on the range of animal foods, such as insects, insect larvae and spiders. The Dutch black grouse belong to a special Brittanicus subspecies, the original black grouse of Northwest Europe. Their annual balts (courtship ritual) is spectacular.
