Willow Ptarmigan

Overview

The Willow Ptarmigan is a circumpolar grouse of arctic and subarctic tundra and willow scrub, ranging across northern Scandinavia, Russia, Alaska, and Canada. It is the largest of the three ptarmigan species and, like its relatives, undergoes a dramatic seasonal molt from a brown summer plumage to pure white in winter.

Feather Identification

• Summer body feathers (male): warm reddish-brown to chestnut, more richly colored than the grayer tones of Rock Ptarmigan
• Summer body feathers (female): paler and more buff-brown, finely barred for nest camouflage
• Winter body feathers: entirely white in both sexes, lacking any dark eye-stripe (unlike male Rock Ptarmigan)
• Tail feathers: black year-round, a shared feature with Rock Ptarmigan that distinguishes both from the White-tailed Ptarmigan
• Size: the largest and stockiest of the three ptarmigan, with correspondingly larger body feathers

Plumage Notes

Willow Ptarmigan males show rich reddish-brown summer plumage that molts into pure white by winter, without the black eye-stripe seen in male Rock Ptarmigan. Females are paler and more finely barred in summer for camouflage while nesting, also turning white in winter. Juveniles resemble a duller version of the female pattern. The species undergoes a complex multi-stage molt similar to other ptarmigan.

Habitat & Range

Willow Ptarmigan inhabit tundra with willow and dwarf birch scrub across a broad circumpolar range including Scandinavia, Russia, Alaska, and northern Canada, and are the national bird of Norway. They are largely resident, though some populations shift to more sheltered lowland scrub in severe winter conditions.

Behavior & Field Notes

Males defend territories with a distinctive barking or laughing call, often given in flight during spring. Diet consists of willow and birch buds, shoots, and berries, with a heavier reliance on willow browse in winter than other ptarmigan. Nests are shallow ground scrapes concealed in scrub or tundra vegetation. The species can form loose flocks in winter and is generally less wary than Rock Ptarmigan in more vegetated habitat.