The birds of Pasvik / E. I. Khlebosolov, O. A. Makarova, O. A. Khlebosolova [et al. ; English transl. Nikita Chernetsov]. - Ryazan : Golosgubernii, 2007. - 175 с. : ил., портр.

The Western Capercaillie is a characteristic inhabitant o f pine forests in Pasvik. cover is thin or at the reindeer foraging sites. During this tim e, their diet consists of foliated shoots, buds and berries o f evergreen subshrubs, mainly black crowberry, red bilberry, bilberry, alpine bearberry, mountain avens, and Arctic birch (Semenov- T ian-Shansky 1960, Semenov-Tian-Shansky & Gilyazov 1991). Rock Ptarmigans forage on the ground both in summ er and in winter. Only after strong snowfalls that prevent access to the ground, the birds eat the buds and shoots o f birches along the tree-line, so that they sometimes sit in the trees (Semenov-Tian-Shansky I960, Semenov-Tian-Shansky & Gilyazov 1991). The Black Grouse prefers deciduous and mixed forests alternated with open habitats (bogs, clearings and old fire areas, Fig. 2.6). The summer diet o f Black Grouse includes green shoots, leaves and berries o f red bilberry, black crowberry, bilberry, great bilberry, andromeda, seeds o f sedge, fruits o f cow-wheat, and other plants. Animal food is mainly taken by the fledglings. In winter, Black G rouse eat catkins, buds, and shoots o f birch and some other deciduous trees, fresh pine cones, juniper berries. In summer. Black G rouse, like all the other grouse species, mainly spends time on the ground. In w inter they forage in the trees (Semenov-T ian- Shansky 1960, Kirikov 1975, Potapov 1985). The Capercaillie mainly occurs in pine forests (Fig. 2.6). In winter, males and females occur separately, as single birds or in small groups. Males prefer relatively open habitats, peat bogs with isolated low pines or in sparse pine forests on the hill slopes; females occur in rather dense m iddle-aged pine forests. In summer, Capercaillies select well sheltered habitats. They occur in cross-country: ridges alternated with bogs, river valleys, mixed all-aged stands with brushwood and shrub (Semenov-Tian-Shansky 1960, Semenov-T ian-Shansky & Gilyazov 1991). In summer, Capercaillies eat leaves, flowers and berries o f herbaceous plants and subshrubs, mainly bilberry and great bilberry; to a lesser extent they also take various seeds, insects, and other small invertebrates. Fledglings prefer animal food and seeds. In winter, the diet o f the Capercaillie consists o f pine needles, and twigs, I.P. Nazarov 93