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Lagopus muta

(Montin, 1781)

Rock Ptarmigan

G5Secure Found in 13 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106130
Element CodeABNLC10020
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
Synonyms
Lagopus mutus(Montin, 1781)
Other Common Names
Lagopède alpin (FR)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 2000. Forty-second supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. The Auk 117:847-858
Taxonomic Comments
Fourteen subspecies of rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta; formerly Lagopus mutus) are recognized in North America, seven of which are endemic to the Aleutian Archipelago, in Alaska (Holder et al. 2000). Subspecies are characterized on the basis of adult male summer plumage color and pattern (see review in Holder and Montgomerie 1993); each subspecies is confined to one island or a small cluster of islands (Holder et al. 2004).

In Alaska, there are two species with dark plumage (L. m. nelsoni and L. m. yunaskensis), five with pale plumage (L. m. atkhensis, L. m. chamberlaini, L. m. sanfordi, L. m. gabrielsoni, and L. m. townsendi) and only one with black plumage (L. m. evermanni; Holder et al. 2000).

Recent genetic analysis suggests the Aleutian subspecies and the mainland Alaska subspecies L. m. nelsoni (Nelson's rock ptarmigan) may be arranged into three evolutionarily significant units: (1) L. m. evermanni is genetically and morphologically distinct from all other Aleutian and mainland subspecies; (2) L. m. nelsoni, L. m. yunaskensis, L. m. gabrielsoni, and L. m. townsendi could be combined under one subspecific designation; and (3) L. m. sanfordi, L. m. atkhensis and L. m. chamberlaini combined (Holder 1998, Holder et al. 1999, Holder et al. 2004).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-09
Change Date1996-11-25
Range Extent Comments
Circumpolar. Arctic Ocean islands south in Eurasia to Iceland and locally in the mountains to Scotland, France, Spain, Austria, central Asia, and northern Japan; and in North America south to southern Alaska, northern Canada, and southern Greenland.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Open tundra, barren and rocky slopes in Arctic and alpine areas, and relatively barren heaths and moors (AOU 1983). Nests on tundra, barren and rocky slopes in Arctic and alpine areas. The nest is a scrape lined with grasses, plants and a few feathers.

Ecology

Males may leave family groups and gather in flocks; females and young stay together during the summer but join other family groups to form winter flocks (Harrison 1978). In high arctic, territory size may be as large as 2.5 sq km (see Johnson and Herter 1989).

Reproduction

Breeding begins from late May to early June. Female incubates 5-10, sometimes 3-12, eggs for 21-23 days (also reported as 24-26 days, Harrison 1978). Nestlings are precocial and downy. Young initially are tended by both parents; later only by female. Young can fly at 10-15 days, independent at 10-12 weeks.
Terrestrial Habitats
AlpineTundraBare rock/talus/scree
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
NunavutS5Yes
British ColumbiaS4Yes
OntarioSNAYes
QuebecS4Yes
ManitobaS3NYes
Yukon TerritoryS4Yes
LabradorS4Yes
Northwest TerritoriesS5Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS3Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
AlaskaS5Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive (71-100%)UnknownLow (long-term)
11.1 - Habitat shifting & alterationPervasive (71-100%)UnknownLow (long-term)

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Roadless Areas (13)
Alaska (13)
AreaForestAcres
College FiordChugach National Forest1,130,818
Douglas IslandTongass National Forest28,065
Hoonah SoundTongass National Forest79,764
Juneau-Skagway IcefieldTongass National Forest1,187,268
KartaTongass National Forest52,117
Kenai LakeChugach National Forest213,172
Kenai MountainsChugach National Forest306,600
Nellie JuanChugach National Forest713,697
RevillaTongass National Forest29,298
RhineTongass National Forest23,010
Roaded DonutChugach National Forest968
Taku-SnettishamTongass National Forest664,928
Twenty MileChugach National Forest198,775
References (27)
  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). 2000. Forty-second supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. The Auk 117:847-858
  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. Cotter, R.C. 1999. The reproductive biology of Rock Ptarmigan (<i>Lagopus mutus</i>) in the central Canadian arctic. Arctic 52(1):23-32.
  8. 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.
  9. Emison, W. B., and C. M. White. 1988. Foods and weights of the rock ptarmigan on Amchitka, Aleutian Islands, Alaska. Great Basin Nat. 48:533-540.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
  13. Holder, K. 1998. Evolutionary divergence and historical biogeography of Nearctic rock ptarmigan (<i>Lagopus mutus</i>). Ph.D. dissertation. Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario.
  14. Holder, K. and R. Montgomerie. 1993. Rock Ptarmigan (<i>Lagopus mutus</i>). In: The Birds of North America, No. 51 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washinton, D.C.: The American Ornithologists' Union.
  15. Holder, K., R. Montgomerie, and V. L Friesen. 1999. A test of the glacial refugium hypothesis using patterns of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence variation in rock ptarmigan (<i>Lagopus mutus</i>). Evolution 53:1936-1950.
  16. Holder, K., R. Montgomerie, and V. L. Friesen. 2000. Glacial vicariance and historical biogeography of rock ptarmigan (<i>Lagopus mutus</i>) in the Bering region. Molecular Ecology 9(9):1265-1278 .
  17. Holder, K., R. Montgomerie, and V. L. Friesen. 2004. Genetic diversity and management of Nearctic rock ptarmigan (<i>Lagopus mutus</i>). Canadian Journal of Zoology 82:564-575.
  18. 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.
  19. Johnsgard, P.A. 1983b. The grouse of the world. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE. xvi + 413 pp.
  20. Johnson, S. R. and D. R. Herter. 1989. The Birds of the Beaufort Sea. BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., Anchorage, Alaska. 372 pp.
  21. Pelren, E. C. 1996. Blue grouse winter ecology in northeastern Oregon. Ph.D. Dissertation, Oregon State University, Corvallis.
  22. 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.
  23. Schroeder, M. A., and C. E. Braun. 1993. Partial migration in a population of greater prairie-chickens in northeastern Colorado. Auk 110:21-28.
  24. 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.
  25. 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.
  26. Taylor, M. A., and F. S. Guthery. 1980c. Dispersal of a lesser prairie chicken (TYMPANUCHUS PALLIDICINCTUS). Southwestern Naturalist 25:124-125.
  27. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.