Black Game

The black grouse is one of Britain's most striking game birds with its almost completely black plumage, save for a white wing bar, a white, lyre shaped tail and red wattle. The male is called a 'blackcock', the female is a 'greyhen', and together they are referred to as 'black game'. They live in areas of moorland fringe - needing heather moorland, blanket bog, and pine trees within their home range.  This is a 'lekking' species, which means that to attract a mate the males meet on a particular patch of ground each year called a "lek" to display and attract females. Like many other game bird species, black game are seriously declining in Britain with their range having contracted dramatically this century. Since 1990 this decline is 50% nationally.

At one time black game were found as far south as Hampshire, in Southern England.  Their range now in the British Isles is confined to Wales, Northern England and Scotland.  Attempts to re-introduce and breed black game in Ireland have been less than successful.

On the wing, black game have a typical, grouse-like flight pattern with rapid wing beats followed by fast gliding.  Its speed is deceptive and much faster then the red grouse to which this is bird is related.  The traditional way of flushing black game is with pointers or setters on the moors although many will be flushed by beaters on upland pheasant shoots due to the bird's liking for the margins of wood and moorland.

Greyhens, after mating, are left on their own by the blackcock to lay and incubate the eggs.  It is not uncommon for a second mating to occur should the first clutch of eggs be lost due to weather conditions or predation.   The incubation period is around 25 days with the young active within hours of hatching.  Within three weeks the young black game are able to fly short distances, but unlike their cousins the red grouse, it is August before they are competent fliers.   The shooting season for black game takes this into account and does not open until 20 August, as opposed to 12 August for the red grouse.