Blue Grouse

 Since I brought up Birds yesterday, I was reminded of a fact I learned a while ago-- The Blue Grouse has the shortest migration route of any bird. About 300 meters. 

Meet a male Dusky Grouse, which is one of two species that were lumped in as Blue Grouse. This picture is from iNaturalist, below. 

The Dusky Grouse and the Sooty Grouse are now separated into two different species, but they can have hybrid children, so they're very closely related. 

Other than their short migration, the only two things I found about them that are particularly interesting are that they're the second largest grouse species, and that their scientific name is Dendragapus Obscurus, which sounds like a fun one. 

If you want to know more about them, there are links below, but the thing I found most interesting was that their extremely short migration pattern. They just go downhill a bit, then back up when the weather changes. I find things like this rather amusing, so I thought I'd share. See you again soon. 

Sources:

Guinness World Record-- Shortest Migration

Why Evolution is True-- Shortest Migration

iNaturalist- Dusky Grouse

Animal Diversity Web-- Blue Grouse

All About Birds-- Dusky Grouse

BioKids-- Dusky Grouse

Audubon Field Guide-- Dusky Grouse