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Home/Species/ White-tailed Ptarmigan

Lagopus leucura

(Richardson, 1831)

White-tailed Ptarmigan

G5Secure Found in 42 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
PS:TESA Status
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102622
Element CodeABNLC10030
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderGalliformes
FamilyPhasianidae
GenusLagopus
USESAPS:T
Synonyms
Lagopus leucurus(Richardson, 1831)
Other Common Names
Lagopède à queue blanche (FR) white-tailed ptarmigan (EN)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
There are five subspecies of white-tailed ptarmigan, but molecular analysis found strong support for only two, Lagopus leucura altipetens and L. l. saxatilis. The more moderate patterns of divergence within the rest of the species' range may be clinal in nature rather than reflecting true genetic clusters (Langin et al. 2018).

Ellsworth et al. (1995) examined phylogenetic relationships among North American grouse based on mtDNA data and found that Falcipennis canadensis is more closely related to Bonasa umbellus (ruffed grouse) than to Dendragapus obscurus (blue grouse), which is allied with Lagopus (ptarmigan) and Tetrao (capercaillie, a European grouse).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-08
Change Date1996-11-25
Range Extent Comments
RESIDENT: central Alaska, northern Yukon, southwestern Mackenzie, south to Kenai Peninsula; Vancouver Island, Canada, Cascade Mountains in Washington, and in Rocky Mountains from British Columbia and Alberta south to northern New Mexico; introduced and established outside native range in high central Sierra Nevada in California (see Frederick and Gutierrez [1992] for account of release and range expansion); releases also have been made in the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon, Pike's Peak in Colorado, and Uintah Mountains in Utah.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Alpine tundra, especially in rocky areas with sparse vegetation (AOU 1983). Summer habitats in the Rocky Mountains consistently include moist, low-growing alpine vegetation. In Colorado, percent canopy cover of willow was higher at winter feeding sites than at random sites (Giesen and Braun 1992). In the Sierra Nevada, breeding season habitats were in areas of tall (>30 cm) willow shrubs and contained more subshrub, moss, and boulder cover than in unused habitats; in postbreeding season, used topographic depressions within breeding territories; brooding hens used moist meadows, while flocks occupied sites with abundant boulders; primarily used the Salix anglorum antiplasta vegetation alliance on rocky, north-facing slopes; willow abundance and proximity to water were important habitat factors (Frederick and Gutierrez 1992). Nests in alpine tundra, in rocky areas or sparsely vegetated, grassy slopes. Tends to search for vacant territory in natal area. High fidelity to breeding territory in successive years.

Ecology

Broods stay together in family groups until following spring (Harrison 1978). Sedentary. In the Sierra Nevada, overall density was 4.4-5.7/100 ha in breeding season, 4.7-7.1/100 ha postbreeding; density within occupied habitat was 10.5-14.2/100 ha in breeding season, 21.8-27.7/100 ha postbreeding; number of breeding pairs was 1.8/100 ha and 2.8/100 ha in two areas (Frederick and Gutierrez 1992). Overall breeding density at Logan Pass, Montana, was 6.8/100 ha; density within suitable habitat was 19.3/100 ha; 10.6/100 ha postbreeding. In Colorado, breeding density in three unhunted populations was 9.6-11.9/100 ha; 15.7-23.4 postbreeding (see Frederick and Gutierrez 1992). In Colorado, winter home ranges of 17 females averaged 1.62 sq km (4 of these averaged 2.44 sq km); those of 2 males averaged 0.44 sq km; winter density averaged 10-20 birds/sq km (Giesen and Braun 1992).

Reproduction

Female incubates 4-7, sometimes 3-9, eggs for 22-23 days (Harrison 1978). Nestlings are precocial and downy. Brood size in Sierra Nevada averaged 2.6-2.8; brood size in five areas in Colorado was 3.2-4.5; brood size at flight age in Montana was 3.3-3.5. Young are guarded by both parents, capable of flying in about 10 days. Monogamous. In the Sierra Nevada, reproductive success decreased with increasing spring snow depth (Condor 94:622-627).
Terrestrial Habitats
AlpineBare rock/talus/scree
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
Northwest TerritoriesSUYes
British ColumbiaS5Yes
AlbertaS5Yes
Yukon TerritoryS4Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
MontanaS3Yes
OregonSNANo
UtahSNANo
New MexicoS1B,S1NYes
WashingtonS3Yes
CaliforniaSNANo
ColoradoS4Yes
IdahoSNAYes
Navajo NationS1Yes
AlaskaS4Yes
Roadless Areas (42)
Alaska (9)
AreaForestAcres
Boston BarChugach National Forest53,617
College FiordChugach National Forest1,130,818
Johnson PassChugach National Forest152,508
Kenai LakeChugach National Forest213,172
Kenai MountainsChugach National Forest306,600
ResurrectionChugach National Forest224,615
RhineTongass National Forest23,010
Roaded DonutChugach National Forest968
Twenty MileChugach National Forest198,775
California (9)
AreaForestAcres
Hall Natural AreaInyo National Forest5,236
Hoover - Green Ck NoHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest7,155
Hoover - Virginia LksHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest5,050
Horse Mdw.Inyo National Forest5,687
Log Cabin SaddlebagInyo National Forest15,165
Rock Creek WestInyo National Forest3,626
TinemahaInyo National Forest27,060
Wheeler RidgeInyo National Forest15,744
Wonoga Pk.Inyo National Forest11,272
Colorado (6)
AreaForestAcres
Bristol HeadRio Grande NF46,087
Comanche Peak Adjacent AreaArapaho & Roosevelt NFs44,158
HermosaSan Juan NF148,103
Long ParkRoutt NF42,100
Pole Mountain / Finger MesaRio Grande NF43,863
San MiguelSan Juan NF64,263
New Mexico (1)
AreaForestAcres
PecosCarson National Forest13,436
Utah (1)
AreaForestAcres
High Uintas (UT)Wasatch-Cache National Forest102,398
Washington (15)
AreaForestAcres
Alpine Lakes Adj.Wenatchee National Forest57,104
Boulder RiverMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest32,563
ChelanWenatchee National Forest74,650
Glacier Peak JMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest26,482
Glacier Peak KMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest47,269
Glacier Peak LMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest14,084
Heather LakeWenatchee National Forest10,628
Liberty BellOkanogan National Forest108,495
Long SwampOkanogan National Forest66,344
Mt. Baker NorthMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest16,873
Mt. Baker WestMt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest25,390
Nason RidgeWenatchee National Forest19,329
Rock CreekWenatchee National Forest32,239
SawtoothOkanogan National Forest122,194
TeanawayWenatchee National Forest72,849
Wyoming (1)
AreaForestAcres
Little BighornBighorn National Forest133,949
References (28)
  1. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  3. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 2004. Forty-fifth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. The Auk 121(3):985-995.
  4. Bergerud, A. T., and M. W. Gratson, editors. 1987. Adaptive strategies and population ecology of northern grouse. Univ. Minnesoat Press. 785 pp.
  5. Connelly, J. W., M. A. Schroeder, A. R. Sands, and C. E. Braun. 2000. Guidelines to manage sage grouse populations and their habitats. Wildlife Society Bulletin 28:967-985.
  6. Copelin, F. F. 1963. The Lesser Prairie Chicken in Oklahoma. Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Department Technical Bulletin 6.
  7. Ellsworth, D. L., R. L. Honeycut, and N. J. Silvy. 1995. Phylogenetic relationships among North American grouse inferred from restriction endonuclease analysis of mitochondrial DNA. Condor 97:492-502.
  8. Frederick, G. P., and R. J. Gutierrez. 1992. Habitat use and population characteristics of the white-tailed ptarmigan in the Sierra Nevada, California. Condor 94:889-902.
  9. Giesen, K. M. 1991. Population inventory and habitat use by Lesser Prairie-Chickens in southeast Colorado. Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Report W-152-R, Colorado Division of Wildlife.
  10. Giesen, K.M. 1998. Lesser prairie-chicken (<i>Typanuchus pallidicinctus</i>). In A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. The Birds of North America, No. 364. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA. 20 pp.
  11. Giesen, K. M., and C. E. Braun. 1992. Winter home range and habitat characteristics of white-tailed ptarmigan in Colorado. Wilson Bull. 104:263-272.
  12. Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
  13. Hoffman, R. W., and K. M. Giesen. 1983. Demography of an introduced population of white-tailed ptarmigan. Can. J. Zool. 61:1758-1764.
  14. Horkel, J. D. 1979. Cover and space requirements of Attwater's prairie chicken (TYMPANUCHUS CUPIDO ATTWATERI) in Refugio County, Texas. Ph.D. Thesis. Texas A&M University, College Station. 96 pp.
  15. Johnsgard, P.A. 1983b. The grouse of the world. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE. xvi + 413 pp.
  16. Langin, K.M., C.L. Aldridge, J.A. Fike, R.S. Cornman, K. Martin, G.T. Wann, A.E. Seglund, M.A. Schroeder, C.E. Braun, D.P. Benson, B.C. Fedy, J.R. Young, S. Wilson, D.H. Wolfe, and S.J. Oyler-McCance. 2018. Characterizing range-wide divergence in an alpine-endemic bird: a comparison of genetic and genomic approaches. Conservation Genetics 19:1471-1485.
  17. Pelren, E. C. 1996. Blue grouse winter ecology in northeastern Oregon. Ph.D. Dissertation, Oregon State University, Corvallis.
  18. Schroeder, M. A. 1991. Movement and lek visitation by female greater prairie-chickens in relation to predictions of Bradbury's female preference hypothesis of lek evolution. Auk 108:896-903.
  19. Schroeder, M. A., and C. E. Braun. 1993. Partial migration in a population of greater prairie-chickens in northeastern Colorado. Auk 110:21-28.
  20. Taylor, M. A., and F. S. Guthery. 1980a. Fall-winter movements, ranges, and habitat use of lesser prairie chickens. Journal of Wildlife Management 44:521-524.
  21. Taylor, M. A., and F. S. Guthery. 1980b. Status, Ecology, and Management of the Lesser Prairie Chicken. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RM-77, 15 p. Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO.
  22. Taylor, M. A., and F. S. Guthery. 1980c. Dispersal of a lesser prairie chicken (TYMPANUCHUS PALLIDICINCTUS). Southwestern Naturalist 25:124-125.
  23. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  24. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2020. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Eleven Species Not Warranted for Listing as Endangered or Threatened Species. Federal Register 85(233):78029-78038.
  25. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2021. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Threatened Species Status for Mount Rainier White-Tailed Ptarmigan With a Section 4(d) Rule. Federal Register 86(113): 31668-31692.
  26. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2021. Species status assessment report for Mount Rainier White-tailed Ptarmigan (<i>Lagopus leucura rainierensis</i>). Version 1. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Interior Region 9. 157 pp.
  27. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2022. Review of Species That Are Candidates for Listing as Endangered or Threatened; Annual Notification of Findings on Resubmitted Petitions; Annual Description of Progress on Listing Actions. Notification of Review Federal Register 87(85): 26152-26178.
  28. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2024. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Threatened Species Status for Mount Rainier White-Tailed Ptarmigan With a Section 4(d) Rule. Final rule. Federal Register 89(128): 55091-55113.