Canachites canadensis
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The spruce grouse (Canachites canadensis), also known as Canada grouse, spruce hen or fool hen, is a medium-sized grouse closely associated with the coniferous boreal forests or taiga of North America. It is the only member of the genus Canachites.
It is one of the most arboreal grouse species, fairly well adapted to perching and moving about in trees. When approached by a predator, it relies on camouflage and immobility to an amazing degree; for example, letting people approach within a few feet before finally taking flight.
In 1747, the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of a female spruce grouse in the second volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. He used the English name "The Brown and Spotted Heathcock". Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a preserved specimen that had been sent to him in London from the Hudson Bay in Canada by a Mr Light. Edwards was later sent what he assumed was a specimen of the male bird by James Isham. In 1750, he included the male bird in the third volume of his book under the English name "The Black and Spotted Heathcock". When in 1758, the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Wood Buffalo National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 10 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 12 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry Vilas Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an American Spruce Grouse sighting in Banff National Park on a given day, based on 444 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 92nd most-seen of the 191 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, August and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an American Spruce Grouse in Banff National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–July, September and November–January, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American Spruce Grouse sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate American Spruce Grouse sightings, Banff National Park ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park (United States, about 30%), Denali National Park (United States, about 20%) and Katmai National Park (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the American Spruce Grouse is recorded against all the birds logged in Banff National Park (444 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
