Ice Stories: Dispatches From Polar Scientists » ptarmigan http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches Mon, 15 Nov 2010 20:40:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Ptarmigan http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/ptarmagin/ http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/ptarmagin/#comments Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:02:53 +0000 Amy Breen http://icestories.exploratorium.edu/dispatches/?p=639 TOOLIK FIELD STATION, ALASKA– We often encounter ptarmigan hidden among the lichen-covered rock and tundra plants at Toolik Lake. Ptarmigan live year round in the Arctic. They are well camouflaged in both the winter and summer seasons. In the summer, their plumage is brown with dark stripes. However in winter, they are completely white to blend into the snow-covered landscape.

We rarely know a ptarmigan is near, until a quick movement reveals its presence. While ptarmigan do fly, we most often see them walking on the tundra foraging on plants and berries.

To catch a glimpse of a ptarmigan, watch this video.



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