The willow ptarmigan Lagopus lagopus cover photo - 127939613

More Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Cover Photos

Cover photo description:
The willow ptarmigan Lagopus lagopus is a bird in the grouse subfamily Tetraoninae of the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is also known as the willow grouse and in Ireland and Britain, where it was previously considered to be a separate species, as the red grouse. It is a sedentary species, breeding in birch and other forests and moorlands in northern Europe, the tundra of Scandinavia, Siberia, Alaska and northern Canada, in particular in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the state bird of Alaska. In the summer the birds are largely brown, with dappled plumage, but in the winter they are white with some black feathers in their tails British populations do not adopt a winter plumage. The species has remained little changed from the bird that roamed the tundra during the Pleistocene. Nesting takes place in the spring when clutches of four to ten eggs are laid in a scrape on the ground. The chicks are precocial and soon leave the nest and while they are young, both parents play a part in caring for them. The chicks eat insects and young plant growth while the adults are completely herbivorous, eating leaves, flowers, buds, seeds and berries during the summer and largely subsisting on the buds and twigs of willow and other dwarf shrubs and trees during the winter.

adopt adults also birch birds both breeding britain brown canada caring changed chicks clutches considered dappled eat eggs europe family feathers forests four ground grouse growth insects ireland known labrador lagopus laid largely leave moorlands nest nesting newfoundland northern other parents particular phasianidae pheasant place plant play pleistocene plumage populations precocial previously province ptarmigan red remained roamed scandinavia scrape sedentary separate siberia soon species spring subfamily summer tails takes tetraoninae willow