Pheasants & Grouse

Willow Ptarmigan

Weidenschneehuhn

Lagopus lagopus

Pheasants & Grouse5 photosFirst seen: 19 August 2026

The Willow Ptarmigan is a heavily feathered grouse of northern shrub tundra. It changes from mostly white winter plumage to mottled reddish-brown summer plumage while retaining white wings and feathered legs. Willow buds and leaves form much of its diet. Flocks gather outside the breeding season, and the species is Alaska's official state bird.

ID tip: In summer, note the rich brown body, white wings and belly, feathered legs and red eye comb. In winter it is almost entirely white; the bill remains dark, unlike the pale bill of a Rock Ptarmigan in winter.

First seen: 19 August 2026 · Denali National Park · 5 photos in the collection.

Places in my records

Locations where this species is supported by a dated first record, an unambiguous single-place outing or a reviewed assignment.

Denali National Park19 August 2026

Family: Pheasants & Grouse (Phasianidae)
Length: 35–43.5 cm
Wingspan: 60–62 cm
Regional status: Year-round resident (Alaska, USA)
Conservation: Least Concern LCIUCN Red List · retrieved 27 August 2026
Habitat: Arctic and subarctic tundra, muskeg and shrubby areas rich in willow and alder
Diet: Willow and birch buds, leaves, catkins, flowers and berries; chicks also eat insects

Built from verified occurrence records, not drawn by hand. Core range = the countries holding 99% of all records; the rest are scattered or vagrant records. Record counts track where people watch birds as much as where the birds are, so the map shows presence, not abundance. Data: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). Basemap: Natural Earth.

Willow Ptarmigan

Places in my records

Selected photographs