It is one of the most rapidly declining bird species in the UK, with only 5,100 lekking males during the last national survey (2005). Black grouse have been breeding on North and Mid Wales moorlands since the last Ice Age. Black grouse lek for much of the year, the key period being April and May.
Watch leks and feeding birds from a vehicle.
Not many people get a chance to see us in action: but you can. In England, numbers stayed the same. / Black grouse; Black grouse. Numbers fell by almost 30% in Scotland - which still has 66% of the UK population. Black grouse pay little attention to stationary vehicles which are at least 100 metres away.
Numbers are now slowly increasing through engagement with local graziers and the encouragement of techniques to manage their upland habitat more favourably. The black grouse is a game bird which has undergone dramatic population declines in Wales.
Males gather at traditional sites and display to show dominance over each other and win females that watch from the surrounding vegetation. Natural England and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust run tours to view the black grouse lek, a short tour of habitats and breakfast at the Langdon Beck Hotel.
BBC Recommended for you Males have a lyre-shaped tail, which they raise and fan out in displays known as 'leks'.
Only a few decades ago, black grouse were widespread in the Yorkshire Dales with small populations occurring where there were suitable areas of habitat along the moorland edge. Once widespread on upland and lowland heathland in England, Scotland and Wales, the black grouse has now become locally extinct in many regions and populations have become fragmented. The Project integrated a comprehensive suite of habitat prescriptions, tailored initially to six key areas in mid and north Wales. The Project integrated a comprehensive suite of habitat prescriptions, tailored initially to six key areas in mid and north Wales. Booking is essential. The small population in Wales has risen by almost 30% since the results of the first major survey a decade ago. The black grouse or blackgame or blackcock (Lyrurus tetrix) is a large game bird in the grouse family. The population increased in the late 1970s and early 1980s when recently planted conifer plantations provided ideal nesting and chick rearing habitats. The black grouse is a large bird, about the same size as a female pheasant. Numbers are now slowly increasing through engagement with local graziers and the encouragement of techniques to manage their upland habitat more favourably. Image caption A survey of displaying black grouse numbers in Wales has recorded record-breaking results . Ensure that you do not block access or disturb nearby residents. The black grouse is a game bird which has undergone dramatic population declines in Wales.