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