Like this:

A typical red phase grouse tail is held next to the unusual grouse for comparison.Notice the red ruff on the grouse on the left compared to the traditional black ruff on the right.

I shot an unusual grouse this morning. while looking like a ruffed grouse in every way, its coloration was different than any I had seen before. Generally grouse are either red or gray phase birds with some being a mixture of the two. It is always part of the grouse hunting game to look at the bird and appreciate their unique colors. But almost always they are either red or gray with grey being predominate.

Six of us, all serious grouse hunter looked at the bird and wondered how it got its plumage and no one had a definitive answer other than it was a most unusual bird.

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