The hazel grouse Bonasa bonasia in Leningrad province

The peculiarities of distribution, habitats, nutrition, and breeding of the hazel grouse Bonasa bonasia bonasia (Linnaeus, 1758) are described; the data on the population density and abundance of the bird in Leningrad Province are also given. Leningrad Province is situated in the southern taiga subzone, optimal for the hazel grouse. Habitats preferred by this species are similar to those typical of all the northern lowlands and are associated mainly with mixed forests, where the spruces provide shelters and birches and alders are the main source of winter food. The optimal habitats are associated with mixed forests along streams, especially in hilly relief. Pure dry or marshy pine forests are usually avoided. In large territories, covered by such forest types, hazel grouses populate only areas along streams that drainage wet soil and possess dense shrubby vegetation. For this reason, forested territories are characterized by different number hazel grouse habitats during the reproductive season. We divided them into the three categories: optimal, median, and insufficient (useless). In the majority of locations examined by the authors, these categories possess the ratio of 1:2:1, respectively. The number of hazel grouse counted during the spring-nesting season, constituted 6 birds (3 pairs) and 2 birds (1 pair) per 1 km2 in optimal and median habitats, respectively; no birds were found in insufficient areas. Recordings performed during last several years, including our data, demonstrate that the autumn reproduction degree constitutes 3 juvenile birds per each adult pair. At present, forested territories in Leningrad Province occupy about 34000 km2; this fact allows estimating of the total number of Hazel grouses in Leningrad Province as 85000 birds in spring and 127000 birds in autumn in the years with favourable climatic conditions. Strong decrease in the hazel grouse game activity in the province and the appearance of many Specially Protected Areas where hunting is prohibited completely, make us to look at the future situation with the hazel grouse in Leningrad Province with optimism, in spite of the lasting destruction of forest vegetation.