Willow ptarmigan

Lagopus lagopus

A northern ptarmigan of tundra and shrublands, changing plumage with the seasons and turning white in winter.

Key facts

Willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) is a herbivore animal classified as Bird · Galliformes · Phasianidae.
Primary habitats are polar · grassland · mountains, with a range across Palearctic · Nearctic.
Activity is diurnal, sociality is loose group, and conservation status is LC (Least Concern).
A northern ptarmigan of tundra and shrublands, changing plumage with the seasons and turning white in winter.
Lives in tundra, willow scrub, damp grassland, and mountain shrub zones across Arctic and subarctic regions.

Habitat range map

Native rangeOccasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Lives in tundra, willow scrub, damp grassland, and mountain shrub zones across Arctic and subarctic regions.

Summer plumage is brown, while winter plumage is mostly white. Breeding males have red eye combs; females are strongly mottled.

It walks and feeds on the ground, forming flocks in winter. White winter plumage camouflages birds on snow.

Willow and birch buds, leaves, berries, and seeds are eaten, while chicks take many insects.

Ground nests are hidden in low vegetation. Females incubate, and chicks walk and forage soon after hatching.

Some populations fluctuate strongly in cycles, and changing snow seasons are an important concern.