BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 1, 2022
Ruffed grouse, which in Maine are often referred to as partridge, can be found across the state. It is illegal to shoot spruce grouse. Telling the two birds apart can be tricky. Male spruce grouse are slate gray and black and feature an unfeathered patch of red skin above the eye. They have tail feathers with red-brown tips that lack the broad, black band seen on the tails of ruffed grouse. Female spruce grouse are gray and brown above and white and brown below. They may resemble the red phase of ruffed grouse in some light conditions. Ruffed grouse, on the other hand, are characterized by the black tail band. They also have black ruff feathers on the side of the neck and other small feathers that stick up from the top of the head.