The Ptarmigan is a type of grouse living in the far north, in Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, Scandinavia and Siberia. In summer, its feathers are brown and mottled like the tundra it lives in. Like many other bird species, it uses brownish camouflage to hide from predators.
But the Ptarmigan spends
its winters farther north than any other bird. Snows soon blanket its home –
brown feathers would be too obvious against the white landscape. So the
Ptarmigan moults into brilliant white feathers in winter. This makes the bird
almost invisible in its snowy home. Fluffy white feathers even cover the
Ptarmigan’s feet – keeping them warm and turning their feet into wide
snowshoes.
The Ptarmigan is also
unusual in having three different camouflages: Summer-Brown, Winter-White, and
in spring, the Ptarmigan becomes a patchy half-brown, half-white. This
springtime coat helps hide the Ptarmigan when the tundra is patchy with melting
snow.
Even more incredible: the
females moult into summer-brown sooner than the males. By late spring, the
females are hiding on their nests, in the brown tundra. But the males are still
defending their territory- some flashy white can help the males stand out. The
Ptarmigan’s moults are perfectly coordinated with the northern seasons.
There are three species of
Ptarmigan: the Willow, Rock, and White-tailed. Each has many subtle subspecies.
For instance, the “Red Grouse” of Britain is actually a type of Willow
Ptarmigan. Since it lives farther south, in regions with little snow, it does
not need to turn white in the winter.
No comments:
Post a Comment