Lyrurus is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily. They are known as black grouse because the male's plumage of both species is colored black as its base colour.

Lyrurus
Temporal range: Early Pliocene to recent
Black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
Tribe: Tetraonini
Genus: Lyrurus
Swainson, 1832
Type species
Tetrao tetrix (black grouse)
Linnaeus, 1758
Species

Lyrurus tetrix
Lyrurus mlokosiewiczi

Taxonomy

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The genus Lyrurus was introduced in 1832 by the English naturalist William John Swainson with the black grouse as the type species.[1] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek lura meaning "lyre" with -ouros meaning "-tailed".[2]

Species

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The genus contains two species:[3]

Genus Lyrurus Swainson, 1832 – two species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Black grouse

 

Lyrurus tetrix
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Six subspecies
  • L. t. baikalensis (Lorenz T., 1911)
  • L. t. britannicus (Witherby & Lönnberg, 1913)
  • L. t. mongolicus (Lönnberg, 1904)
  • L. t. tetrix (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • L. t. ussuriensis (Kohts, 1911)
  • L. t. viridanus (Lorenz T., 1891)
Europe (Swiss-Italian-French Alps specially) from Great Britain (but not Ireland) through Scandinavia and Estonia, eastwards through Russia and parts of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China
 
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


Caucasian grouse

 

Lyrurus mlokosiewiczi
(Taczanowski, 1875)
The Caucasus, specifically the Caucasus Mountains Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 



References

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  1. ^ Swainson, William John; Richardson, J. (1831). Fauna Boreali-Americana, or, The Zoology of the Northern Parts of British America. Vol. Part 2. The Birds. London: J. Murray. p. 497. The title page bears the year 1831 but the volume was no published until 1832.
  2. ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 233. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  3. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Pheasants, partridges, francolins". IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 23 August 2021.