Skip to content
The UK Bird Atlas

Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus)Where and when to see it in the UK

Scarce migrant · reporting peaks January · Partridges, Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies · BOU category C3E*F

Records to 2026-08-16 · build 2026-08-31

Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus)
Simon Bailey, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Too few records to rate squares by month. Each marked square has at least one record; the table below gives the count and years.

Capercaillie: relative reporting rate by 10 km square, September

Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (grid squares, place names from OS Open Names). Northern Ireland place names: OSNI Open Data, OGL v3.0. County and country boundaries: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0. Coastline: Natural Earth. Bird records from the data partners listed here.

Capercaillie has been recorded in 116 of the 2,971 10 km squares covering UK land (4%) in records to 2026. Scarce migrant in the UK. Reporting peaks in January.

Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, LC)
View on the IUCN Red List

Records by 10 km square

SquareWhereRecordsYearsVerified
NH90Highland, Scotland23042000 to 2024unverified
NH91Highland, Scotland18032000 to 2024unverified
NH92Highland, Scotland16002000 to 2024unverified
NH94Highland, Scotland15322000 to 2024unverified
NH82Highland, Scotland13122000 to 2024unverified
NJ03Highland, Scotland10922000 to 2024unverified
NJ01Highland, Scotland9862000 to 2024unverified
NH67Highland, Scotland8282000 to 2024unverified
NJ02Highland, Scotland8272000 to 2024unverified
NN89Highland, Scotland8262002 to 2024unverified
NH80Highland, Scotland7122000 to 2024unverified
NO39Aberdeenshire, Scotland6162000 to 2024unverified
NH77Highland, Scotland5902000 to 2024unverified
NJ13Highland, Scotland3142002 to 2024unverified
NO49Aberdeenshire, Scotland2682000 to 2024unverified
NH56Highland, Scotland2672002 to 2024unverified
NH95Highland, Scotland2652000 to 2024unverified
NH78Highland, Scotland2222000 to 2024unverified
NO29Aberdeenshire, Scotland1562000 to 2024unverified
NN74Perth and Kinross, Scotland1202000 to 2024unverified
NJ05Moray, Scotland1172001 to 2024unverified
NH22Highland, Scotland372000 to 2024unverified
NJ00Moray, Scotland292022 to 2024unverified
NN79Highland, Scotland212002 to 2024unverified
NH66Highland, Scotland182000 to 2024unverified
NN77Perth and Kinross, Scotland32000 to 2024unverified
NN99Aberdeenshire, Scotland22024unverified
NH83Highland, Scotland12024unverified
NH81Highland, Scotland15162000 to 2023unverified
NH84Highland, Scotland552009 to 2023unverified
NO28Aberdeenshire, Scotland442003 to 2023unverified
NH89Highland, Scotland32006 to 2023unverified
NO59Aberdeenshire, Scotland3002000 to 2022unverified
NO19Aberdeenshire, Scotland202000 to 2022unverified
NH31Highland, Scotland12022unverified
NH73Highland, Scotland42001 to 2021unverified
NH32Highland, Scotland32006 to 2021unverified
NO79Aberdeenshire, Scotland22004 to 2021unverified
NJ40Aberdeenshire, Scotland222000 to 2020unverified
NJ24Moray, Scotland922000 to 2019unverified
NN76Perth and Kinross, Scotland492000 to 2019unverified
NJ30Aberdeenshire, Scotland262000 to 2019unverified
NN86Perth and Kinross, Scotland1842000 to 2018unverified
NJ15Moray, Scotland1792000 to 2018unverified
NH02Highland, Scotland42018unverified
NH03Highland, Scotland22018unverified
NH71Highland, Scotland12018unverified
NH68Highland, Scotland12018unverified
NJ35Moray, Scotland2702002 to 2017unverified
NO08Aberdeenshire, Scotland802000 to 2017unverified
NO09Aberdeenshire, Scotland422000 to 2016unverified
NO18Aberdeenshire, Scotland152002 to 2016unverified
NH23Highland, Scotland12016unverified
NJ41Aberdeenshire, Scotland772000 to 2015unverified
NH93Highland, Scotland492001 to 2015unverified
NH57Highland, Scotland42002 to 2015unverified
NH43Highland, Scotland42003 to 2015unverified
NH53Highland, Scotland32015unverified
NJ51Aberdeenshire, Scotland582000 to 2013unverified
NH65Highland, Scotland212003 to 2013unverified
NJ12Moray, Scotland42000 to 2013unverified
NH46Highland, Scotland42010 to 2013unverified
NH63Highland, Scotland32002 to 2013unverified
NJ04Moray, Scotland32006 to 2013unverified
NN85Perth and Kinross, Scotland22006 to 2013unverified
NJ52Aberdeenshire, Scotland252000 to 2012unverified
NS38Argyll and Bute, Scotland32002 to 2012unverified
NS39Argyll and Bute, Scotland1672000 to 2011unverified
NN94Perth and Kinross, Scotland302001 to 2011unverified
NJ62Aberdeenshire, Scotland132004 to 2011unverified
NO68Aberdeenshire, Scotland22004 to 2011unverified
NN81Perth and Kinross, Scotland392000 to 2010unverified
NJ14Moray, Scotland112002 to 2010unverified
NJ45Moray, Scotland62009 to 2010unverified
NH96Moray, Scotland42004 to 2010unverified
NJ23Moray, Scotland42003 to 2010unverified
NH69Highland, Scotland22006 to 2010unverified
NO69Aberdeenshire, Scotland132002 to 2009unverified
NN92Perth and Kinross, Scotland72000 to 2009unverified
NJ50Aberdeenshire, Scotland22002 to 2009unverified
NJ34Moray, Scotland22009unverified
NJ53Aberdeenshire, Scotland12009unverified
NH55Highland, Scotland22006 to 2008unverified
NN47Highland, Scotland12008unverified
NJ31Aberdeenshire, Scotland272000 to 2007unverified
NJ25Moray, Scotland112001 to 2006unverified
NS49Stirling, Scotland102000 to 2006unverified
NN50Stirling, Scotland62002 to 2006unverified
NO04Perth and Kinross, Scotland42000 to 2006unverified
NN40Stirling, Scotland32005 to 2006unverified
NH59Highland, Scotland32006unverified
NN75Perth and Kinross, Scotland22001 to 2006unverified
NH79Highland, Scotland22006unverified
NO55Angus, Scotland12006unverified
NN55Perth and Kinross, Scotland62001 to 2005unverified
NN70Stirling, Scotland12005unverified
NN64Perth and Kinross, Scotland12005unverified
NH12Highland, Scotland12005unverified
NO38Aberdeenshire, Scotland12004unverified
TM47Suffolk, England12004unverified

Showing the 100 most recent of 116 squares.

Spotted an error in a square? Report it and it goes into the review queue. Read the methodology for how classes, flags and sensitive-species rules work. Data to 2026.