Willow ptarmigan
Lagopus lagopus (Linnaeus, 1758)
The willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) is a bird in the family Phasianidae, order Galliformes. It is a small, terrestrial, sedentary herbivore of grassland habitat, with an adult body mass of 566.9 g.
Quick facts about the willow ptarmigan
It produces 1 clutch per year of 8.95 eggs, incubated for 21.55 days, and reaches sexual maturity at 364.6 days. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern, not a threatened category, and its geographic range covers 24,300,000 km².
- Weight
- 552 g – 720 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 8.58 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 9 years
- Main food
- leavessrc for Main food
- Habitat
- grasslandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 21.6 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 8.95src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the willow ptarmigan
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the willow ptarmigan live?
Not recorded
What is the willow ptarmigan?
The willow ptarmigan ( TAR-mi-gən; Lagopus lagopus) is a bird in the grouse tribe Tetraonini of the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is also known as the willow grouse. The willow ptarmigan breeds in birch and other forests and moorlands in northern Europe, the tundra of Scandinavia, Siberia, Alaska, and Canada, in particular in the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec. It is the state bird of Alaska.
In the summer, the birds are largely brown, with dappled plumage, while in the winter, they are white with some black feathers in their tails. 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 10 eggs are laid in a scrape on the ground. The chicks are precocial, so soon leave the nest. 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.
From the Wikipedia article “Willow ptarmigan” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Willow_ptarmigan&oldid=1383655653), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the willow ptarmigan endangered?
The willow ptarmigan is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the willow ptarmigan classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderGalliformes
- familyPhasianidae
- genusLagopus
- SpeciesLagopus lagopus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Lagopus brachydactylus, Lagopus linnéi, Tetrao saliceti
Other names and names in other languages (84)
- AweboEnglish
- Large ptarmiganEnglish
- Red grouseEnglish
- Willow GrousEnglish
- Willow grouseEnglish
- Willow grouseEnglish
- Willow grouseEnglish
- Willow grouse and red grouseEnglish
- ترمجان الصفصافArabic
- perdiz blanca d'EscandinaviaAragonese
- АғунаBashkir
- ПардваBelarusian
- Курапатка белаяBelarusian
- Снежна яребицаBulgarian
- Brugyar-halegBreton
- perdiu borealCatalan
- Perdiu d'EscandinàviaCatalan
- Ош мызыMari
- bělokur rousnýCzech
- GrugiarWelsh
- Grugiar HelygWelsh
- DalrypeDanish
- MoorschneehuhnGerman
- WeidenschneehuhnGerman
- Κοινός ΛαγόποδαςGreek
- Salika lagopoEsperanto
- ordinara lagopodoEsperanto
- Lagópodo comúnSpanish
- aqezgiqCentral Yupik
- rabapüüEstonian
- Eskandinaviar lagopodoBasque
- باقرقره بیدPersian
- riekkoFinnish
- Hei?arypaFaroese
- heiðarýpaFaroese
- Perdrix blancheFrench
- lagopède des saulesFrench
- TarmachanIrish
- Cearc shailiIrish
- eun ruadhScottish Gaelic
- cearc-fhraoichScottish Gaelic
- cearcan-fraoichScottish Gaelic
- Coileach BeitheScottish Gaelic
- coileach-fraoichScottish Gaelic
- coilich-fhraoichScottish Gaelic
- eòin-ruadhScottish Gaelic
- eun-ruadhScottish Gaelic
- Kellagh sheilleeManx
- שכווי אירופיHebrew
- sjeverna snježnicaCroatian
- sarki hófajdHungarian
- AqargiqInupiaq
- DalrjúpaIcelandic
- Pernice bianca nordicaItalian
- カラフトライチョウJapanese
- თეთრი გნოლიGeorgian
- АққұрKazakh
- Чочком бадьӧгKomi-Permyak
- paprastoji žvyrėLithuanian
- ŽvyrėLithuanian
- baltirbeLatvian
- Цагаан ахуунаMongolian
- MoerassneeuwhoenDutch
- lirypeNorwegian
- pardwa mszarnaPolish
- lagopo-ruivoPortuguese
- Lagópode-cinzentoPortuguese
- Lagópode-escocêsPortuguese
- lagópode-ruivoPortuguese
- Белая куропаткаRussian
- Куропатка белаяRussian
- ХабдьыYakut
- Muir CockScots
- RievssatNorthern Sami
- snehuľa kapcaváSlovak
- barjanski jerebSlovenian
- Severna snežnicaSerbian
- dalripaSwedish
- Kar TavuğuTurkish
- Söğüt kar tavuğuTurkish
- куріпка білаUkrainian
- 柳雷鳥Chinese
- 柳雷鸟Chinese
- 雷鳥〔柳雷鳥〕Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the willow ptarmigan
Other species in the same genus Lagopus.
_2018_01.jpg){kind=link}
_2018_2.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
CompareWillow ptarmigan vs Rock ptarmiganWillow ptarmigan vs White-tailed ptarmiganWillow ptarmigan vs Lagopus medius
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the willow ptarmigan?
The willow ptarmigan is a bird in the family Phasianidae and the order Galliformes.
How heavy is the willow ptarmigan?
An adult Willow ptarmigan has a body mass of 566.9 g, with reported values from 552 g to 720 g.
What does the willow ptarmigan eat?
The willow ptarmigan is a herbivore.
What habitat does the willow ptarmigan live in?
The willow ptarmigan lives in grassland and is a terrestrial, sedentary bird.
Is the willow ptarmigan endangered?
No. The willow ptarmigan is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does the willow ptarmigan live?
The willow ptarmigan has a lifespan of 8.6 years, with values up to 9 years reported.
How many eggs does the willow ptarmigan lay?
The willow ptarmigan lays 8.95 eggs per clutch, with 1 clutch per year and an incubation period of 21.55 days.
Who named the willow ptarmigan?
The willow ptarmigan, Lagopus lagopus, was named by (Linnaeus, 1758).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/willow-ptarmigan
“Willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/willow-ptarmigan.
@misc{willow_ptarmigan_2026,
title = {Willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/willow-ptarmigan},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}