Lesser Known Extinct Birds of the World... No1: The Cork Grouse

We are all familiar with the expression 'dead as a Do Do' and many of us will also know of the fate of the Passenger Pigeon; both species long extinct at the hands of man.

This series looks at some of the many other species of bird to fall foul of mans appetite and short sightedness:

The Cork Grouse (Bonasa suber).Other names: The Waterproof Grouse

French: Le Cork Grouse;

German: Die Cork Grouse;

Spanish: El Urogallo Cork;

Chinese: 科克松鸡.

Habits: A once common species in wine growing regions of southern Europe. It was found in large family groups often around water. One of the most unusual facts about this small grouse is that it is the only known grouse species to swim in water; this is on account of its duck-like feather qualities. This remarkable quality lead to its local name of 'Waterproof Grouse' or in the Spanish....El urogallo impermeable!

Downfall: In the middle ages, in southern Europe, wine was the drink of choice for all social classes. Strangely the high demand for wine was to be the downfall of the Cork Grouse, in fact it was a victim of its own unusual properties... waterproofing!

Before the discovery of the cork oak tree, wine bottles and flagons were sealed with a variety of small dead animals. Once the waterproof properties of the Cork Grouse were realised its fate was sealed! They were slaughtered on mass....the last known Cork Grouse sealed wine bottle was presented to Henry VIII in 1546, only a year before his own demise.

                                           Le Cork Grouse