Our Wildlife Wednesday Species Spotlight Program
While social distancing protocols mean we had to temporarily suspend our monthly Wildlife Wednesday seminars, that doesn’t mean the learning has to stop.
Enrich your wildlife knowledge by following along with our weekly Wildlife Wednesday Species SpotlightSpotlight Species. Each week during the Covid-19 pandemic, we will highlight a new Alaskan species, provide fun and interesting facts about the species, and for a bit of destress time, an image of that animal to color (great for kids and adults alike!). Play along with our Trivia Tuesday on our Facebook page to get a hint on the week’s species. Tag Alaska Wildlife Alliance when you upload your outdoor photos of the species and/or your finished coloring sheet!
Ptarmigan Fact Sheet
Male Willow ptarmigan in Denali National Park | Photo by John Shadle
Scientific name
There are three types of ptarmigan, and all are found in Alaska: willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus), rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta), and white-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura).
General Description
Ptarmigans are close relatives of grouse, and weigh from 10.5 ounces up to 24 ounces (1.5 pounds). Ptarmigans look like small grouse except that the toes of ptarmigans are feathered, their wings are white all year, and they have pure white body plumage in winter.
Range
Willow Ptarmigan in winter | Photo by Jim Dau, ADFG
Willow ptarmigan are found nearly everywhere in Alaska’s high, treeless country, as well as in Canada, Scandinavia, Finland, and Russia. Rock ptarmigan live in all major treeless areas of Alaska except the flat tundras of the western and northern coasts; they are also found in Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, Japan, Switzerland, and Spain. White-tailed ptarmigan are only found in North America, where they occupy rugged uplands from the Alaska Range and central Yukon southward to Washington and northern New Mexico.
Life History
Willow Ptarmigan chicks in Denali National Park | Photo by John Shadle
Male ptarmigans establish and defend breeding territories against other males beginning early spring. All species of ptarmigan next on the ground soon after the snow melts, and hens usually lay six to ten eggs and incubate them for three weeks, with eggs hatching in late June/early July. The male willow ptarmigan will stay with the family and defend the brood but the males of the other ptarmigan species leave care of the chicks entirely to the hens. Chicks grow quickly and can get off the ground within 9-10 days of hatching, and can fly well at 8-10 weeks, once they get their first full set of flight feathers.
In the fall, ptarmigans are quite restless and form and disband flocks as they move into unfamiliar alpine areas. In October, females tend to form their own flocks and drift lower down into brushy forest openings while males stay near the timberline. Migrations are typically less than 100-150 miles one way. In winter, ptarmigan movements are erratic and the birds are nomadic, moving from one sheltered slope or feeding patch to another through March. They are quite sociable during this time and feed and roost in the snow close together. In April and May, huge flocks numbering into the thousands may appear as the birds migrate back to their breeding grounds, but dissipate quickly upon arrival as males establish breeding territories.
Diet
When snow covers the ground, willow ptarmigan eat willow buds, willow twigs, and a little birch; rock ptarmigan nip off birch catkins, birch buds, and little willow; white-tails mix buds and catkins of willow, birch, and alder in varying amounts. When snow melts, the diet gives way to a blend of insects, overwintered berries, new leaves and flowers. As insects disappear, the diet shifts to berries, seed, and buds.
Learn more facts about winter Willow Ptarmigan by Leslie the Bird Nerd
Fun Facts
There are actually three species of ptarmigan in Alaska: willow, rock, and white-tailed ptarmigan.
Willow ptarmigans are the Alaska state bird.
Males of all three species defend territories, but only the males of willow ptarmigans will stay with the family and defend the brood.
Ptarmigans are closely related to grouse, but in addition to having some white feathers year-round, they also have feathers on their toes.
