Assessing habitat suitability for black grouse broods at the bioregional scale

The black grouse Lyrurus tetrix , a galliform species emblematic of the European Alps, is currently threatened by habitat change, particularly given the closure of heathland linked to the rising tree line at higher altitudes. The presence of heathlands in good ecological condition is, however, imperative for the species' reproduction. In this study, we attempted to map black grouse brood habitat suitability at a bioregional scale in the French Alps, coupling a species distribution model with multi‐source remote sensing data. To predict brood habitat suitability, we used a random forest ensemble model. Altitude, ericaceous heathland, and the annual maximum normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) emerged as the three most important variables, consistent with the ecological needs of black grouse. The proportion of ericaceous heathland was especially representative of the foraging and vegetation cover needs of black grouse hens. The resulting map was evaluated by black grouse experts and found to be consistent with their local knowledge in the context of the French Alps.