Sooty Grouse (Dendragapus fuliginosus) [XC373821]
by Dan Minor from Old Blewitt Pass , Kittitas County, Washington, United States (booming)
Sooty Grouse (Dendragapus fuliginosus) [XC483903]
by Steve Hampton from Bethell Ridge Road, Yakima County, Washington, United States (boom)
Subspecies
Dendragapus obscurus (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into Dusky Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus) and Sooty Grouse (Dendragapus fuliginosus) following AOU (2006).
Considered by some authors as conspecific with Dusky Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus).
Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Dusky Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus).
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
sitkensis Swarth, 1921 - Alexander Archipelago (south-eastern Alaska) to Queen Charlotte Is (British Columbia). Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Dusky Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus).
fuliginosus (Ridgway, 1873) - South-eastern Alaska to southern California. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Dusky Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus).
sierrae Chapman, 1904 - Inner coastal ranges from central Washington to California (Sierra Nevada). Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Dusky Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus).
howardi Dickey & van Rossem, 1923 - California, from southern Sierra Nevada south to Tehachapi Mts and Mt Pinos. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Dusky Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet