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Capercaillie Lekking Season
"The Capercaillie cracks the lek and strums
The throttle of his precious range; he arcs
His back with neck full-stretched and utters threats
To the intruding stranger, without fear
Or prejudice to bird or beast or man"
~ Capercaillie, Ivor Bundell, 2015
Lek lek lek lek...! This rhythmic cry announces the presence of the majestic and famously fierce woodgrouse, or Capercaillie—a bird as striking in appearance as it is bold in behavior. During courtship season, male Capercaillies are notoriously aggressive, launching fearless attacks on anything that moves, including unsuspecting people and even passing cars.
Their Gaelic name, capull coille, meaning "horse of the woods," hints at both their power and their forest-dwelling nature. Wild relatives of the American turkey, these birds are admired for their dazzling plumage and their strange, resonant calls. Native to the coniferous forests of central Asia and temperate northern Europe, Capercaillies once roamed Scotland freely until their extinction there in 1785. Fortunately, they were reintroduced a century later, and reroam the Scottish highlands.
The Capercaillie’s courtship ritual is centered around a dramatic display known as a "lek." At traditional lekking sites, males gather to strut, fan their tails, and call out in a symphony of clicks, pops, and hisses—all to attract a mate. The females choose the male with the most impressive display and the best territory, making lekking a true winner-takes-all dance contest.
While the males perform, they feast on bilberries—one of their favorite foods—but don’t be fooled by their snacking. These sweet berries fuel their aggressive behavior! So, if you find yourself in Capercaillie country during mating season, stay alert! In one notable incident in the Scottish highlands, a capercaillie aggressively followed a hiker for over 200 meters until the bird eventually gave up.
It is not clear whether a kilt in this gorgeousl tartan would be attractive (or enraging) to a capercaillie, but it will certainly catch the admiring eye of a human passer-by! 💙 🖤 ❤️ 🤎 🦃 🐎🪶🫐
Capercaillies, also known as woodgrouse, are the wild equivalents of turkeys. Males are known for their create quit loud calling and aggressive, fearless behaviour during courtship (called "lekking" and will attack anything that moves, including people or cars!
Like peacocks, there are differences between the female hens and male cocks known as sexual dimorphism. The hen is roughly twice as small as the cock and she does not have the elaborate tail fan that the male possesses.
Capercaillie is Gaelic for ‘forest horse’ perhaps due to their unusual vocal abilities. During spring, the male Capercaillie's call mimics the sound of dripping water. During courtship the males make a wheezing, gurgling sound and particular sound which reminds many of the popping of the cork on of a bottle of wine. The songs of the Capercaillie are among the loudest of any species. A ‘singing’ capercaillie becomes deaf briefly; there’s a mechanism to prevent its hearing from being damaged by the intense sound!
The females on the other hand emit a more subdued clucking.
In the late 18th Century Capercaillies became extinct in Britain because of deforestation and over-hunting. A reintroduction project was started in Scotland in the 1830s to restore a wild population using birds brought in from Sweden. Presently in Scotland there are roughly a thousand left in the wild.
Capercaillies have quite a varied diet that reflects their adaptability. Leaves, insects, berries and grasses make up the bulk of their food. In winter time, they devote their time feeding on conifer needles and buds in trees. To aid digestion they make use of stones called gastroliths which help to grind down the food.
The fact that the birds consume a large amount of bilberries, is theorized to account for their extremely high levels of testosterone and their aggressive behaviour shown during courtship.
To view the results of all these bilberries, click the lekking Capercaillie for a viral video of a Capercaillie aggressing a Swedish reporter on the side of a highway!