Lekking western capercaillie

The western capercaillie's lekking display — in which male birds gather at traditional sites before dawn to perform elaborate courtship rituals — was one of the most dramatic natural events Liljefors could witness in the Swedish boreal forest. This 1923 canvas captures a lekking male in full display, and represents one of Liljefors's most frequent and committed subjects: he painted capercaillies across several decades, drawn by the birds' large size, dramatic appearance, and the extraordinary theatre of the lek. The capercaillie's spring courtship ritual begins in the dark and intensifies as light increases, requiring an observer to enter the forest before dawn and move silently to the display site. Liljefors did this repeatedly throughout his life, combining the patience of a naturalist with the visual intelligence of a painter to memorise and sketch what he witnessed. His capercaillie paintings reflect this dual expertise — they are both biologically accurate documents of behaviour and dynamic compositions charged with the energy of the performance they depict.

The lekking capercaillie's display posture — tail fanned, neck extended, head raised with beak pointed upward — is described with anatomical fidelity. The large black body with its glossy green breast patch is set against the early spring forest, where snow may still linger. Liljefors uses strong contrasts between the dark bird and pale ground to maximise the figure's presence.