So you’ve got a grouse in-hand and are not quite sure if it’s a male are a female? You’re not alone! The plumages of the two sexes are quite similar, and while about 77% of the males have unbroken dark bands near the end of their tails, many males have incomplete bands much like those of females in which the color is faded or absent on the central tail feathers. Out of a sample of nearly 1700 grouse, the same band patterns were common to both sexes among 52% of the population. The best external