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Caleb Venturo

Learn about: White-tailed Ptarmigans!

Photo by Jenny Venturo

White ptarmigan bird with black markings on its neck, and black claws, an eye, and beak. It is leaping from some brown rocks, its wings outstretched, over a background of snow and talus.

When we were hiking high on Mt. Elbert in Colorado, we saw lots of ptarmigans. They were so white we could hardly see them against the snow. They waited until we came very close before thundering off to another place. We think they were White-tailed Ptarmigans!

 

The White-tailed Ptarmigan is the smallest bird in the grouse family. It lives above tree line in Canada, Alaska, and the Western US. Ptarmigans grow to 12.2 inches and weigh about 16.9 ounces. In summer, ptarmigans have brown feathers, but in winter they turn white. Vocalizations include soft hoots and clucks. Ptarmigans feed on a variety of buds, leaves, seeds, flowers, and insects. Golden Eagles sometimes snatch a ptarmigan off the ground. We should be careful because the devil wants to snatch us away from doing right.


Information from: Wikipedia

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