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| SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON NAME: |
ptarmigan |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Galliformes |
| FAMILY: |
Phasianidae |
| GENUS SPECIES: |
There
are 3 species of ptarmigans:
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willow ptarmigan
- Lagopus lagopus |
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white-tailed ptarmigan
- Lagopus leucurus |
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rock ptarmigan
- Lagopuos mutus |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Ptarmigans are chickenlike birds with feathered legs and feet. They go through three molts a year to match the seasonal changes in habitat. In the summer, their coloration is dark and mottled. By early fall, they become more mottled, and by winter they are white. They have red eye combs that may be inflated during courtship or aggressive displays. |
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| SIZE: |
Willow ptarmigan = 34-44 cm (1.1-1.4 ft.) |
| White-tailed ptarmigan = 30-31 cm (0.98-1.01 ft.) |
| Rock ptarmigan = 32-40 cm (1.04-1.31 ft.) |
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| WEIGHT: |
Willow ptarmigan = 0.43-0.81 kg (0.95-1.79 lb.) |
| White-tailed ptarmigan = 0.33-0.48 kg (0.72-1.06 lb.) |
| Rock ptarmigan = 0.44-0.64 kg (0.97-1.41 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Buds, leaves, catkins, insects, berries, and flowers |
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| INCUBATION: |
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| CLUTCH SIZE |
Willow ptarmigan = 4-14 eggs |
| White-tailed ptarmigan = 2-8 eggs |
| Rock ptarmigan = 3-13 eggs |
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| RANGE: |
Willow ptarmigan = Alaska and northern Canada to British Columbia and northern Eurasia |
| White-tailed ptarmigan = southeastern Alaska to northern Washington and Montana and parts of the Rocky Mountains |
| Rock ptarmigan = Alaska and northern Canada, Iceland, Scotland, and northern Eurasia; may move to the southern end of their range in the winter |
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| HABITAT: |
Willow ptarmigan = open tundra in areas of heavy vegetation |
| White-tailed ptarmigan = at or above the treeline in rocky areas, snowfields, or meadows |
| Rock ptarmigan = arctic tundra in barren or rocky areas; may move to forested areas in the winter |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Willow ptarmigan = 37,000,000 individuals |
| White-tailed ptarmigan = 2,000,000 individuals |
| Rock ptarmigan = 8,200,000 individuals |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Least concern |
| CITES |
Appendix II |
| USFWS |
Not listed |
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| 1. |
All three species of ptarmigans may be referred to as "snow chickens". |
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| 2. |
Changes in the ptarmigans color helps conceal them from predators such as snowy owls. In winter, the blend in with the snow, while in summer they are camouflaged with the plants and rocks in the ground. |
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| Ptarmigans are hunted by humans for food and sport. |
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| BirdLife International (2007) Species factsheet. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2/1/2008 |
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| Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 2003. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide |
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del Hoyo, J., A. Elliot, et al. Handbook of the Birds of the World: Ostrich to Ducks. Barcelona, Lynx Edicions. 1992. |
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