Willow Ptarmigan

How to identify

Field marks

1. Winter plumage white overall, with black outer tail feathers
2. Red semicircular comb above the eye, more prominent in the breeding season
3. Male mottled brown in summer, with white wings and underparts
4. Broad bill, feathered legs and feet, and short, rounded tail

Male, female and young

Female resembles the male in summer, but has a much smaller comb above the eye and brown feathers mixed with the white on the belly; immatures resemble adults.

Voice

Low and throaty, with chuckling, clucking notes; some Chinese listeners hear a phrase meaning “Do you love me?” in its call.

Similar species

Rock Ptarmigan

Willow Ptarmigan is larger, with a stouter bill, and generally stays below the tree line; in winter, the male lacks a black stripe between the eye and bill.

Where and when it's recorded

Willow Ptarmigan has been recorded at 33 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 8 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

1. ChurchillCanada780 records
2. Arnfield ReservoirUnited Kingdom214 records
3. Point Pelee NP – TipCanada110 records

Countries and regions with the most records

CanadaUnited KingdomNorwayFinlandChinaRussiaMongoliaUnited States

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The willow ptarmigan is a bird in the grouse tribe Tetraonini of the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is also known as the willow grouse. The willow ptarmigan breeds in birch and other forests and moorlands in northern Europe, the tundra of Scandinavia, Siberia, Alaska, and Canada, in particular in the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions