Willow Ptarmigan

Lagopus lagopus Order: Galliformes Family: Phasianidae (Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies)
Lagopus lagopus Order: Galliformes Family: Phasianidae (Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies)

The state bird of Alaska was featured in Jack London’s White Fang. The wolf cub’s first hunting experience involved ptarmigan chicks. Fortunately, exceptional cryptic coloration protects enough of these wonderful birds to sustain their population. In winter, they molt into snow-white plumage, and then assume darker feathers that blend with tundra vegetation as snows recede in late spring and early summer. All my photos are from an Alaska trip in June 2022. Russ and I saw them in both the Nome area and at Denali National Park.

The scientific name Lagopus comes from “rabbit foot,” in reference to the large, heavily-feathered feet of these birds, allowing them to walk on deep snow.

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