Grouse

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/grouse

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Subfamily: Tetraoninae (comprising numerous genera and species)
2. What do grouse eat?Grouse eat plants like leaves, buds, twigs, and needles. Some species, like the Greater Sage‑Grouse, mainly eat sagebrush leaves.
3. Why do ptarmigan feathers change color?Ptarmigans change from brown or grey in summer to white in winter so they blend in with the snow and stay hidden from predators.

Phenotypic Plasticity: The ability of an organism to change its phenotype in response to environmental changes.
Gular Sac: A distensible sac in the throat of some male birds, used in courtship displays.
Food Web Dynamics: The complex network of feeding relationships within an ecosystem and how energy flows through it.