A medium-sized grouse that turns white in winter and brown in summer. State bird of Alaska.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The willow ptarmigan is a bird in the grouse tribe Tetraonini of the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is also known as the willow grouse. The willow ptarmigan breeds in birch and other forests and moorlands in northern Europe, the tundra of Scandinavia, Siberia, Alaska and Canada, in particular in the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec. It is the state bird of Alaska.
Source: Wikipedia — Willow ptarmigan Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Plump grouse; winter birds white with a black tail; summer males rich rusty-brown about the head and neck. Bill heavier than Rock Ptarmigan.
Similar species. Rock Ptarmigan is smaller-billed and grayer in summer (males with a black eye-line in winter); White-tailed has a white tail. Willow's black tail and heavy bill help.
Voice. A remarkable raucous, laughing 'go-back go-back go-BACK' given in flight by displaying males.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Seeds, buds, fruits, insects.
Behavior. The largest and most widespread ptarmigan, a bird of arctic and subarctic willow thickets and tundra; unusually, the male helps defend the brood. Turns white in winter.
§ Range
Boreal Canada, Alaska, occasional irruption
§ Habitat
Boreal willow scrub
§ Threats
Climate-driven habitat shifts.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the willow ptarmigan is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support Arctic wilderness conservation.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Willow ptarmigan
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Lagopus lagopus
- IUCN Red List — search for Lagopus lagopus
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Lagopus lagopus
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
