General

Rock Ptarmigan: Small grouse with black, brown, and buff mottled upperparts, white underparts with variable dark mottling, and white wings. Head shows dark eyestripe and red combs over eyes. Female is mottled brown, black, and buff overall, lacks eye combs, and has white wings. Winter male is all white with black-edged tail and dark eyestripe, and reduced red combs; winter female resembles winter male but lacks eyestripe and combs. Juvenile resembles breeding female but shows white only on tips of wings.

Range and Habitat

Rock Ptarmigan: Tundra species of barren rocky land. Found from western Aleutians, throughout Alaska, northern Canada, Arctic, into Greenland.

Breeding and Nesting

Rock Ptarmigan: Monogamous and solitary. Both sexes create scape nest in depression often near boulder. Female lines nest with moss, lichens, grass, and breast feathers. Six to thirteen brown and black marked, buff to light brown eggs are laid. Female incubates eggs for 20 to 26 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Rock Ptarmigan: Pecks and tears at vegetation. Consumes leaves, catkins, seeds, flowers, and buds of a wide variety of Arctic plants. Chicks feed on more berries and insect larvae than adults.

Vocalization

Rock Ptarmigan: Low croaking clucks and rattles. Male courtship display call a low "ah AAH ah AAAAH a a a a."

Similar Species

Rock Ptarmigan: Willow Ptarmigan is larger and has rust-brown plumage. Male has a larger bill. White-tailed Ptarmigan is smaller, has a white tail, and is found in the western range.