# Willow ptarmigan (*Lagopus lagopus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/willow-ptarmigan  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

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. 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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 552 g – 720 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 8.58 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 9 years |
| Main food | leaves |
| Habitat | grassland |
| Egg incubation | 21.6 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 8.95 |
| Age at maturity | 12 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Sedentary |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Galliformes
- family: Phasianidae
- genus: Lagopus
- species: *Lagopus lagopus* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Lagopus brachydactylus*, *Lagopus linnéi*, *Tetrao saliceti*

## Common questions

### 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

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), 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](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/willow-ptarmigan