Red Grouse

This large plump, reddish-brown bird might surprise you when you're walking the moors. If it's disturbed, the red grouse rockets up from the heather and flies off with rapid, whirring wingbeats calling 'go-back, go-back'.

Heather is the main source of food for the red grouse. It loves the young, tender shoots.

The red grouse is one of the few birds that stay on the moors all year round and you are likely to see it when exploring moorlands in Northumberland National Park.