Subject: White-tailed Ptarmigan in summer coloration, Lagopus leucurus (Lagopus leucura)

Location: Arapaho National Forst, Colorado

Stock Number: 04-1359

Comments: White-tailed Ptarmigans are well-adapted for a snowy life above the treeline. Their all-white winter coloration hides them in their habitat; feathered feet are another adaption for cold and snowy climes.

The species is most commonly encountered in Alaska, the Yukon, and British Columbia. The individual shown here was photographed above the treeline on a Colorado peak.