Description

ROCK PTARMIGAN- The rock ptarmigan is a medium-sized game bird in the grouse family.  The rock ptarmigan is seasonally camouflaged; its feathers molt from white in winter to brown in spring or summer. The breeding male has greyish upper parts with white wings and under parts. In winter, its plumage becomes completely white except for the black tail. The rock ptarmigan is a sedentary species which resides across arctic and subarctic Eurasia and North America (including Greenland) on rocky mountainsides and tundra. The ptarmigan’s genus name, Lagopus, is derived from Ancient Greek lagos meaning “hare”, + pous, “foot”, in reference to the bird’s feathered legs.