 It's a White Chicken! Ptarmigan live year round in the Arctic. These small chicken-like birds can fly, but they are usually found slowly walking on the tundra - eating berries and leaves from the tundra plants, or hiding behind rocks or bushes. They are hard to see. In the summer, their feathers are brownish with dark stripes to match the tundra plants and rocks. In winter, their feathers change to white to blend in with the snow. The only things to give them away against the white snow are their black tail tips, black beaks, and their flashy red eye combs. The eye combs can be exposed or retracted, and are used for courtship displays or to show aggression.
Click pictures for more information and credits. Library: Arctic, Birds, Land Links: Arctic, Arctic Animals Arctic Maps & Weather Reports |
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DICTIONARY: Just "double-click" any unlinked word on this page for the definition from Merriam-Webster's Student Electronic Dictionary at Word Central. |
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ARCTIC LIBRARY & GLOSSARY: Check this section for an index of the rest of the things you really need to know about the Arctic. |
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ARCTIC MAPS & WEATHER REPORTS: Maps of the Northwest Passage, explorers' routes, iceberg sources, Nunavut, the Arctic by treeline, temperature... |
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ARCTIC LINKS: Even more information! Links to sites related to the Arctic and "Iceberg: the Story of the Throps and the Squallhoots". |
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GUIDE TO ARCTIC SUNRISE & SUNSET: How much sunlight or darkness is there in the Arctic on each day of the year? |
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