Photographer Mark Munteanu recently spotted a black grouse in Romania’s Muntii Rodnei Nature Park.

The black grouse is a very rare bird in Romania, with only 30 such birds living in the country, in certain areas in the Eastern Carpathians and the mountains of Maramures.

The black grouse is about 50 cm long and weighs up to 2 kilograms. It is a very distinctive bird, with black plumage with blue shades, red wattles and a white wingbar, and a lyre-shaped tail, which appears forked in flight.

The Muntii Rodnei Nature Park is one of the 22 national and natural parks managed by the forest management company Romsilva. It is the second-biggest nature park in Romania, covering over 47,000 ha, and is located in the northern part of the country between Maramures and Bistrita-Nasaud counties.

Rare sighting in Romania: Griffon vulture spotted in nature park

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Regia Nationala a Padurilor - Romsilva's Facebook page; photo credit: Mark Munteanu/Wild Maramureș)