Birdsong field guide
White-tailed Ptarmigan
Lagopus leucura
The White-tailed Ptarmigan is the smallest grouse in North America, renowned for its remarkable seasonal crypsis and permanent residence above the treeline.
What it sounds like
A series of low-pitched, guttural clucks, soft hoots, and high-pitched chattering; the male's territorial call is a rhythmic 'ku-ku-KUK-kweer'.
Reference call, compare with what you heard
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Field notes
- It is the only ptarmigan species entirely endemic to North America.
- Unlike Willow and Rock Ptarmigans, its tail feathers remain pure white throughout the entire year.
- It possesses heavily feathered toes that function as natural snowshoes, increasing surface area for walking on soft drifts.
- To survive extreme nocturnal temperatures, it frequently burrows into subnivean snow banks to utilize the snow's insulating properties.
- It undergoes three distinct molts annually—shifting from mottled brown in summer to grayish-yellow in autumn and pure white in winter.
Habitat
High-altitude alpine tundra, rocky scree slopes, and krummholz zones well above the timberline.
Range
Montane regions of Western North America, ranging from Alaska and the Yukon southward through the Rocky Mountains to New Mexico.
Similar & commonly confused birds
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