Have you ever walked in the woods and heard a mysterious thumping sound, like someone trying to start an old engine that won’t quite turn over? You probably heard the unique behavior of a ruffed grouse drumming! Starting around this time of year, male ruffed grouse will jump up on a log, stump or rock and drum. They trap air between their wings and bodies, flapping in faster and faster succession, creating a vacuum of air that creates the characteristic thumping noise. Males use this behavior to

Our staff recently encountered a “tame” ruffed grouse at Leyden WMA. On rare occasions, grouse have been documented closely following people and cars, or acting aggressively. While biologists aren’t sure what causes this unusual behavior, it's probably attributed to territorial behavior associated with the breeding season. These changes are stimulated by increases in daylight and may be exacerbated by sounds that mimic their mating drumming noises, such as a tractor or truck engine. | Massachuse

Have you ever seen or heard the Ruffed Grouse's haunting air drumming? How the birds produce their unusual thrumming was a long-time mystery, until wildlife cinematography got involved: http://ow.ly/9As830kXLrn | National Audubon Society