White-tailed Ptarmigan
Encyclopedia
The White-tailed Ptarmigan, Lagopus leucura, is the smallest bird in the grouse
family. It is found in the mountains of the western United States
, Canada
and Alaska
.
The White-tailed Ptarmigan is the only bird to permanently reside in the alpine zone. This zone includes rocky areas, krummholz
, snowfields, and meadows.
species, a permanent resident of the high mountains above timber line. It occupies open country and flies a great deal more than forest grouse, but still prefers running to flying. It ranges from Alaska
and western Canada
south to northern New Mexico
.
The White-tailed Ptarmigan has been introduced into the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California
, Wallowa Mountains
in Oregon
, and Uinta Mountains
of Utah
. Males return from their timberline wintering areas to establish territories on spruce
-willow
timberline breeding grounds in April. Females arrive in early May and pairs are formed.
, willow buds, and willow twigs. Winter food sources have a much higher cellulose
content than summer forage, so the ptarmigan relies on bacteria-aided digestion in the cecum
to extract essential nutrients.
Ptarmigan chicks begin their lives eating insects. Once the chicks' digestive tracts and ceca
are more fully developed, their diets shift to one of flowers and leaves
. Hens choose foraging patches where plant species containing proteins are abundant. The hens call their chicks to these plants, which are critical for the growth and development of the chicks. This suggests that the hens' food calls assist in enhancing survival rates of juvenile ptarmigans.
Males are usually monogamous and remain with the same mate for one breeding season. To attract females, a male will strut and display his tail feathers. The female builds a simple scrape nest on the ground, while the male acts as a sentry to guard the nest.
A clutch consists of 2-8 eggs, which retain a cinnamon color for most of the gestational period, but develop brown spots just prior to hatching. http://www.pbase.com/image/126655318 The precocial
young leave the nest 6 to 12 hours after hatching. Males remain with the females until the eggs hatch, which spans the incubation period of about 23 days. Juvenile ptarmigans remain with the mother through the autumn season.
. http://www.hancockwildlife.org/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=1276&page=69 To conserve energy during the winter months, the ptarmigan avoids flight and roosts in snowbanks. During the summer, the ptarmigan eats grit
to assist in digesting plant material.
This bird serves as an indicator species
for the alpine tundra, and denotes overall ecosystem health. Currently, this bird is not a conservation concern and is abundant in alpine zones across North America, indicating that this region is not undergoing dramatic climatic, temperature, or precipitation shifts. The lack of overgrazing due to cattle, the lack of human development in alpine zones, and the laws regarding hunting bag limits allow the White-tailed Ptarmigan to thrive.
lagos (λαγως), meaning "hare
", + pous (πους), "foot", in reference to the bird's feathered legs (see also Snowshoe Hare
). The species name leucura was for a long time misspelt leucurus, in the erroneous belief that the ending of Lagopus denotes masculine gender
. However, as the Ancient Greek term λαγωπους is of feminine gender, and the species name has to agree with that, the feminine leucura is correct. The species name leucura is derived from the Latinized version of the Greek leukos, meaning "white
", + oura, meaning "tail
"., in reference to the bird's white tail year around.
Grouse
Grouse are a group of birds from the order Galliformes. They are sometimes considered a family Tetraonidae, though the American Ornithologists' Union and many others include grouse as a subfamily Tetraoninae in the family Phasianidae...
family. It is found in the mountains of the western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
Description
The White-tailed Ptarmigan is the smallest of the ptarmigans and the smallest bird in the grouse family. Adults are 11.8 to 12.2 in (30 to 31 cm) long, with the males being only slightly larger than the females. The average weight is 11.6 to 16.9 oz (328.9 to 479.1 g). In the winter, this bird displays white plumage, while it appears grayish brown and speckled during the summer months. Both sexes maintain white tail and wing feathers year-round, and males are identified by reddish eyecombs year-round. http://worldbirdinfo.net/Pages/BirdMediaView.aspxThe White-tailed Ptarmigan is the only bird to permanently reside in the alpine zone. This zone includes rocky areas, krummholz
Krummholz
Krummholz or Krumholtz formation — also called Knieholz — is a particular feature of subarctic and subalpine tree line landscapes. Continual exposure to fierce, freezing winds causes vegetation to become stunted and deformed...
, snowfields, and meadows.
Distribution
The White-tailed Ptarmigan is an alpineAlpine climate
Alpine climate is the average weather for a region above the tree line. This climate is also referred to as mountain climate or highland climate....
species, a permanent resident of the high mountains above timber line. It occupies open country and flies a great deal more than forest grouse, but still prefers running to flying. It ranges from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and western Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
south to northern New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
.
The White-tailed Ptarmigan has been introduced into the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Wallowa Mountains
Wallowa Mountains
The Wallowa Mountains are a mountain range located in the Columbia Plateau of northeastern Oregon in the United States. The range runs approximately 40 mi northwest to southeast in southwestern Wallowa County between the Blue Mountains to the west and the Snake River to the east. The range is...
in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, and Uinta Mountains
Uinta Mountains
The Uinta Mountains are a high chain of mountains in northeastern Utah and extreme northwestern Colorado in the United States. A subrange of the Rocky Mountains, they are unusual for being the highest range in the contiguous United States running east to west, and lie approximately east of Salt...
of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. Males return from their timberline wintering areas to establish territories on spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
-willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
timberline breeding grounds in April. Females arrive in early May and pairs are formed.
Diet
This herbivorous bird's diet varies seasonally. Nitrogen-rich snow buttercup leaves are favored in the spring season, while willow catkins, alpine avens flowers, and chickweed blooms form the majority of the ptarmigan's diet in the summer. Once fall and winter arrive to the region, the ptarmigan prefers seedsSEEDS
SEEDS is a voluntary organisation registered under the Societies Act of India....
, willow buds, and willow twigs. Winter food sources have a much higher cellulose
Cellulose
Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β linked D-glucose units....
content than summer forage, so the ptarmigan relies on bacteria-aided digestion in the cecum
Cecum
The cecum or caecum is a pouch, connecting the ileum with the ascending colon of the large intestine. It is separated from the ileum by the ileocecal valve or Bauhin's valve, and is considered to be the beginning of the large intestine. It is also separated from the colon by the cecocolic...
to extract essential nutrients.
Ptarmigan chicks begin their lives eating insects. Once the chicks' digestive tracts and ceca
Ceca
Svetlana Ražnatović , better known her stage name Ceca is a Serbian pop folk singer. She started her career as a folk and pop-folk singer...
are more fully developed, their diets shift to one of flowers and leaves
Leaves
-History:Vocalist Arnar Gudjonsson was formerly the guitarist with Mower, and he was joined by Hallur Hallsson , Arnar Ólafsson , Bjarni Grímsson , and Andri Ásgrímsson . Late in 2001 they played with Emiliana Torrini and drew early praise from the New York Times...
. Hens choose foraging patches where plant species containing proteins are abundant. The hens call their chicks to these plants, which are critical for the growth and development of the chicks. This suggests that the hens' food calls assist in enhancing survival rates of juvenile ptarmigans.
Breeding
The White-tailed Ptarmigan nests in shallow depressions in snow-free areas. These areas, generally protected from wind, are softened with grasses and a few feathers. One side of the nest is generally left open as an escape route.Males are usually monogamous and remain with the same mate for one breeding season. To attract females, a male will strut and display his tail feathers. The female builds a simple scrape nest on the ground, while the male acts as a sentry to guard the nest.
A clutch consists of 2-8 eggs, which retain a cinnamon color for most of the gestational period, but develop brown spots just prior to hatching. http://www.pbase.com/image/126655318 The precocial
Precocial
In biology, the term precocial refers to species in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. The opposite developmental strategy is called "altricial," where the young are born or hatched helpless. Extremely precocial species may be called...
young leave the nest 6 to 12 hours after hatching. Males remain with the females until the eggs hatch, which spans the incubation period of about 23 days. Juvenile ptarmigans remain with the mother through the autumn season.
Adaptations and Indicator Species
The White-tailed Ptarmigan has feathers located on its feet to serve as protection from the extreme cold often experienced in the alpine tundra environment. In addition, these birds have feathers around their nostrils to warm the air prior to entry into the respiratory tract. The most obvious adaptation is this bird's cryptic coloration, which enables it to blend in with its environment and avoid predationPredation
In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey . Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption...
. http://www.hancockwildlife.org/forum/viewtopic.php?showtopic=1276&page=69 To conserve energy during the winter months, the ptarmigan avoids flight and roosts in snowbanks. During the summer, the ptarmigan eats grit
Grit
Grit may refer to:* GRIT , also known as Arhgap32 or PX-RICS* Grit , a U.S. periodical founded as a newspaper in 1882* Grit , by Celtic fusion musician Martyn Bennett* Grit , by Norwegian rock band Madrugada...
to assist in digesting plant material.
This bird serves as an indicator species
Indicator species
An indicator species is any biological species that defines a trait or characteristic of the environment. For example, a species may delineate an ecoregion or indicate an environmental condition such as a disease outbreak, pollution, species competition or climate change...
for the alpine tundra, and denotes overall ecosystem health. Currently, this bird is not a conservation concern and is abundant in alpine zones across North America, indicating that this region is not undergoing dramatic climatic, temperature, or precipitation shifts. The lack of overgrazing due to cattle, the lack of human development in alpine zones, and the laws regarding hunting bag limits allow the White-tailed Ptarmigan to thrive.
Etymology
The Ptarmigan's genus name, Lagopus, is derived from Ancient GreekAncient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
lagos (λαγως), meaning "hare
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
", + pous (πους), "foot", in reference to the bird's feathered legs (see also Snowshoe Hare
Snowshoe Hare
The Snowshoe Hare , also called the Varying Hare, or Snowshoe Rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet and the marks its tail leaves. The animal's feet prevent it from sinking into the snow when it hops and walks...
). The species name leucura was for a long time misspelt leucurus, in the erroneous belief that the ending of Lagopus denotes masculine gender
Grammatical gender
Grammatical gender is defined linguistically as a system of classes of nouns which trigger specific types of inflections in associated words, such as adjectives, verbs and others. For a system of noun classes to be a gender system, every noun must belong to one of the classes and there should be...
. However, as the Ancient Greek term λαγωπους is of feminine gender, and the species name has to agree with that, the feminine leucura is correct. The species name leucura is derived from the Latinized version of the Greek leukos, meaning "white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
", + oura, meaning "tail
Tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds...
"., in reference to the bird's white tail year around.