Tetrao urogallus
Silhouette: Elisabeth Östman · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), also known as the Eurasian capercaillie, wood grouse, heather cock, cock-of-the-woods, or simply capercaillie, is a heavy member of the grouse tribe and the largest of all extant grouse species. Found across Europe and the Palearctic, this primarily-ground-dwelling forest grouse is renowned for its courtship display. The bird shows extreme sexual dimorphism, with males nearly twice the size of females. The global population is listed as "least concern" under the IUCN, although the populations of central Europe are declining and fragmented, or possibly extirpated.
The western capercaillie is one of two living species under the genus Tetrao, which also includes the lesser-known black-billed capercaillie. The western capercaillie was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under its current binomial name Tetrao urogallus. Linnaeus specified the type locality as Europe but this is now restricted to Sweden. The genus name is a Latin word that was used for both the black grouse and the western capercaillie. The specific epithet urogallus is a Neo-Latin partial... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lusen National Park Centre | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Parc animalier de Sainte-Croix | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Wildpark Neuhaus | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Novosibirsk Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 6 | wildlife park Feldkirch | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 7 | Wildpark Feldkirch | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 8 | Molló Parc Aventura | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Plock Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 10 | Santillana Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 11 | Alpenzoo Innsbruck | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 12 | Bois du Petit-Château | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | |
| 13 | akwarium warszawskiego ZOO | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 14 | Bird Park | 🇷🇺 Russia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Capercaillie sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 69th most-seen of the 140 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and March
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Western Capercaillie in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June to January, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Capercaillie sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Western Capercaillie sightings, Cairngorms National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Bavarian Forest National Park (Germany, about 10%).
Same family: Phasianidae
The closest relatives of the Western Capercaillie that you can see in Cairngorms National Park (family Phasianidae, Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies) are Ring-necked Pheasant (about 30%), Eurasian Black Grouse (about 20%) and Willow Grouse (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Capercaillie is recorded against all the birds logged in Cairngorms National Park (14 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.
