Sooty Grouse (Dendragapus fuliginosus) [XC612900]
by Bruce Lagerquist from Stikine Region (near Atlin), Stikine Region, British Columbia, Canada (song)
Sooty Grouse (Dendragapus fuliginosus) [XC328734]
by Fernando del Valle from Cottonwood Lakes Trail, John Muir Wilderness, Inyo County, California, United States (call)
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