Birds Posters
Ptarmigans
The Ptarmigan is a medium sized gamebird in the grouse family.
This bird can be found in alpine and arctic tundra regions of Canada, Scandinavia, Russia, Finland, Greenland, with scattered southern outposts in Japan, Switzerland, and Spain.
The rock ptarmigan looks like a small grouse or pheasant; adults are beween 13 and 16 inches long.
In the mountains of Honshu, Japan, the Ptarmigan is called raichou literally thunder bird and according to legend protects people and buildings from fire and thunder.
Many studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between the comb size and the level of testosterone in males.
The Rock Ptarmigan is also known as Snow Chicken, and is the official bird for the territory of Nunavut, Canada.
It has pure white plumage in winter, except for a black tail, which is present in both sexes year-round.
Ales Ptarmigans have a black streak from beak to eye, a scarlet comb near the eyes, and are generally pale on the upper body in fall.
Females are nearly invisible against the tundra in summer, and are slightly smaller than males.
A typical bird of the arctic tundra, the Willow Ptarmigan is the largest and most numerous of the three ptarmigan species.
In the winter they settle into snowbanks to sleep. By flying into the bank, rather than walking, they do not leave footprints and can avoid predation.
It is the state bird of Alaska. This bird feet are heavy with feathers and serve as a sort of snowshoe.
The Willow Ptarmigan is called the Red Grouse in Britain.Unlike in North America, it does not turn white in winter there.
The White-tailed Ptarmigan was first described in 1831 by Sir John Richardson, a Scottish naval surgeon, naturalist and arctic explorer.
The smallest grouse in North America, the White-tailed Ptarmigan inhabits alpine regions from Alaska to New Mexico.
It has numerous adaptations to its severe habitat, including feathered toes, highly cryptic plumage, and an energy-conserving daily regime.
The bird has feathers around its nostrils so that the air it breathes in is warmed before it reaches its body.