Birds and wildlife
Ptarmigan
Lagopus mutaGroup: GrouseUK Conservation status:RedHow to identify
The Ptarmigan is a game bird, slightly larger than a Grey Partridge. In summer, it is a mixture of grey, brown and black on top with white bellies and wings. In winter, it becomes totally white, except for its tail and eye-patch, which remain black. It breeds in the highest mountains of the Highlands of Scotland on the Arctic-like landscape there. Birds are residents, rarely moving far from breeding sites. In extreme cold weather, birds may move from the highest ground to the edge of forests.Call
![](https://base-prod.rspb-prod.magnolia-platform.com/dam/jcr:42ed8c28-279c-4c3b-9e57-7d79bae7a44f/1191553444-Species-Ptarmigan-SUMMER-PLUMAGE-Wideangle-stood-on-rock-with-mountains.jpg)
Ptarmigan
Patrik Åberg / xeno-canto
Key
- Resident
- Passage
- Summer
- Winter
![](https://base-prod.rspb-prod.magnolia-platform.com/dam/jcr:ac17179e-9907-4851-a643-30bf9880a2b9/ptarmigan_distributionmap.jpg)
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Key facts
You might also be interested in...
No results