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The red grouse, which grows to about 15 inches, is the prime target of sporting guns. Yet research shows that shooting does not permanently threaten its numbers, since there is usually a surplus population doomed to starve through being unable to obtain individual territories. The red grouse feeds on young heather. They nest on the ground, where the dull plumage of the hen camouflages her. The chicks - up to a dozen are able to walk and feed themselves soon after hatching.