blue grouse
noun
A large grouse of coniferous forests in western North America, Dendragapus obscurus, the male of which has an inflatable sac on each side of the neck that amplifies its hooting calls.
- This bird is sometimes regarded as consisting of two similar species, the dusky grouse (D. obscurus) and the sooty grouse (D. fuliginosus)..
Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in Edward Beckwith (1818–1881).