The paper sketches the state of grouse science as reflected by the 8th International Grouse Symposium held at Rovaniemi, Finland, in September 1999, by contrasting the representation of species, topics and trends in the literature and at the Symposium. The analysis was based on 5,349 grouse papers published between 1930 and 1998 and 75 abstracts submitted for the Symposium. In the past, grouse research has focused on the species with the greatest economic and cultural importance. During the 1990s, population dynamics, habitat and behaviour have become the major research topics. At the Symposium, a number of trends became apparent: increasing importance of genetic and landscape ecological studies, integration of disciplines, approaches and explanations, as well as increasing cooperation. However, a significant gap seems to exist in the documentation and communication of experience in grouse conservation and management.