White-tailed ptarmigan
Lagopus leucurus
Identification Tips:
- Medium-sized, stocky, round-winged, chicken-like bird
- Squarish white tail in nonjuvenal plumage
- Small black bill
- Legs and toes feathered
- Brown or white uppertail coverts cover center of tail
Male alternate:
- Red comb over eye
- White wings, tail and leg feathering
- Body brown barred with black or white depending on molt stage
Female alternate:
- Brown plumage with black spotting and barring
- Small red comb over eye
- White wings and tail
Basic:
- Entirely white plumage
- Small red comb over eye
Similar species:
In all plumages the White-tailed Ptarmigan can be told from the other
ptarmigan species by its white, not black, tail.