Novasola Ptarmigan
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| Winter Plumage. |
Novasola
Ptarmigan, Lagopus novasolensis
L 30-35 cm, WS 55-60 cm, Family:
Phasianidae
IUCN Status: Vulnerable
(VU)
Description:
and small head. Extrodinarily well-camouflaged against rock and snow. During the breeding season the body is brownish overall with extensive dark spotting. Wing primaries white, outer tail feathers black. Males have brown head, neck, and breast, variable white spotting on the back, and fleshy red eye combs. Distinct white eyeline. In winter, both sexes are entirely white except the black eyes, bill, and outer tail feathers, and eye combs in males that are not always visible. Legs and toes are covered in feathers, thicker and longer during winter. No major differences in size between sexes. Smallest grouse species native to Novasola.
Voice:
Males
are highly vocal during courtship, emitting a series of guttural clucks and
duck-like quacks. Common calls include soft quacks, chucks, and mechanic
barking when alarmed. Novasola Ptarmigan have been described as sounding
“half-way between a mechanical wind-up toy and a rubber ducky”.
Range and Habitat:
Found
only in high-elevation regions of the Paramount and Morning mountain ranges, as
well as a small, distinct population found at high elevations on Kosatka
Island. Ptarmigan are alpine specialists and prefer areas at or above the tree
line. Their habitat includes alpine tundra, heath, barren or rocky slopes, and
other cold, sparsely-vegetated areas. They may less commonly be found in
thickets of alpine shrubs or trees like willow, aspen, alder, fir, or pine,
especially in winter. They may be found at lower elevations during winter, but
are almost never found below the tree line in the warmer months.
Discussion:
Novasola
Ptarmigan are the smallest species of grouse native to Novasola, only slightly
larger than quail, and perhaps the most unique.
Novasola
Ptarmigan are extremely cold-hearty alpine specialists that have evolved many
adaptations to high-elevation life. Most obviously is their color, which cycles
between drastically different winter and summer plumages. In the summer they
are brown-gray and intricately marked in dark and light spots and stripes to
blend in with the rocks, dirt, lichen, and vegetation, while in wither they
appear totally white except their eyes and bill, perfectly camouflaged for
snow. Their bodies are plump and their legs and feet are covered in thick,
insulating feathers that act as snowshoes. Ptarmigan will migrate to lower
elevations during harsh winters. Though capable of flight, Novasola Ptarmigan
prefer to remain on the ground and will only fly when avoiding predators. To
conserve energy in the cold, they are mostly sedentary, rarely traveling
farther than a kilometer in a day, especially in winter when they may hunker
down and roost in the same area for weeks. They roost in small depressions in
the ground, often near large rocks or ground plants for cover. In the winter
they may roost entirely under the snow, and in times of deep snow they will
even dig tunnels so they can forage and travel without ever coming to the
surface. These subnivean burrows insulate the birds from the cold air and
protect them from predators.
Like
other grouse species, ptarmigan are prey to a host of other species. Nearly any
predator of adequate size will hunt and eat ptarmigan, both adults and chicks
or eggs. Ptarmigan are also popular game birds for human hunters, who enjoy
high-altitude sporting.
Novasola
Ptarmigan eat a mix of plant matter, including buds, leaves, flowers, berries,
and seeds, and invertebrates like spiders, flies, grubs, and other ground
insects. While they mostly forage on the ground, either above or below the
snow, they may perch in shrubs to access higher foods. They especially prefer
ground willows, heather, clover, bearberry, and various sedges. Invertebrates
make up the majority of hatchling or chick diets, who don’t start eating bulk
plant matter until their first winter.
In
the spring, male Novasola Ptarmigan will establish territories and defend them
using aerial displays and frequent vocalizing. They are extremely territorial
and will fight off intruders aggressively, not just other ptarmigan but also
anything they perceive as a threat, including larger species and predators.
Males have been observed chasing large elk and even vehicles. During this time
they will even approach humans with relative aggression, though considering the
birds’ diminutive size, cute appearance, and goofy sounds, the targeted people
usually find these intimidations nothing less than humorous. Females will
choose which males to mate with by inspecting their territories and by judging
the male’s courtship displays, which involve intricate “dancing” and quacking
by the male. Once mated the female will create a nest within the male’s
territory and lay up to 8 eggs. Mated pairs are strictly monogamous, and birds
often mate with the same partners every year. The male plays no part in
incubation, but may defend the female, nest, or chicks. Chicks stay with the
mother until their first molt into winter plumage, and usually until the next
spring. During the winter ptarmigan flock in small to large groups, with
anywhere between 4 to 60 individuals. Because Novasola Ptarmigan are mostly
sedentary, the way these winter flocks is not well understood.
As
is the case for most Novasolan alpine species, Novasola Ptarmigan have faced
serious population declines over the past century, which can be attributed in
large part to habitat loss and shifts in climate. As glaciers recede and
snowfall decreases with warmer temperatures thanks to climate change, alpine
ecosystems, which are already fragile, are changing and shrinking. The tree
line has been slowly moving upslope, which shrinks and fragments alpine tundra.
With less snow, the ptarmigan have fewer opportunities to dig subnivean burrows
to avoid cold temperatures and predators, and their white plumage stands out
against barren rock, acting opposite to its intended camouflage. In hot summers
they may even suffer heat stress. Alpine areas have seen increased human
traffic and development in the last century with the building of new roads and
recreation areas. Ultimately, though, ptarmigan inhabit remote areas that have
seen relatively low encroachment by human activity, and their status as
Vulnerable comes solely from their susceptibility to climate change and their
naturally low population, which likely never exceeded 200,000 birds
historically. They are the least common grouse species on Novasola. A separate
subspecies can be found on Kosatka Island, and there are ongoing studies to
determine how closely the two populations are related genetically, with
preliminary work suggesting they should be split into separate species.
Also
called Snow Grouse, Snow Quail, or Agdikaq to Taiyalun people, Novasola
Ptarmigan are the true mountaineers of Novasolan birds. Like the White-tailed
Ptarmigan of mainland North America, they are the only endemic bird to spend
their entire lifecycle in the alpine zone. Not only do their unique adaptations
for high-elevation life set them apart, they are also popular for their chubby
appearance, plucky personalities, and comical noises. Because of their remote
habitat, they are less familiar to the public than other grouse and are mostly
associated with ski resorts. Novasola Ptarmigan weren’t described for science
until 1905 after Richard Reichwald’s third NRC expedition.
“The
Ptarmigan is a creature of remarkable adaptability. In summer it wears a modest
coat of mottled browns, ochres, and dusky grays, blending seamlessly with
alpine scree and heather. Come winter, however, its attire is transfigured into
immaculate white, such that the bird vanishes into the snowscape, utterly invisible
to man’s eye. This transformation is so complete that a hunter may tread
directly upon the bird before it flushes at his feet in a sudden whir of wings.
Their feathered legs and feet, down to the very toes, act like snowshoes to
keep them atop the drifts. Though not large, the bird is stout and sufficient
for the pot, yet its value lies far more in its marvel than in its taste.” –
Native Birds of Novasola, 1912
“This
morning we rose above the krummholz, where the air thinned and the world opened
into an expanse of bare rock and lingering snowfields. It was there, in a
shallow draw, that I first spied the Ptarmigan. So still were they that at
first I mistook them for rock and lichen. Not until boredom or hunger overtook
one bird and caused it to begin feeding on the wildflowers around it did I notice
it or the flock of five birds. When they moved, it was with deliberate,
waddling steps, nibbling at buds that grew from cracks in the rock. Approaching
within twenty paces, I watched them resume their business unconcerned. Their
tameness here at the roof of the island is remarkable; evidently these fowl
know little of man, nor of fear.” – Expedition log, July 7, 1904
“I
have yet to observe the Ptarmigan in its winter coat. Climbing the Fastwater’s
peaks in winter is an endeavor for which I have not yet mustered the strength,
but I have collected reports from those brave souls that have crossed the
Paramounts through the cold. They suggest the Ptarmigan, like its brethren,
change like the hare. I plan on exploring the Tower slopes this March, and
expect to collect specimens then should luck allow.” – Personal correspondence
to Joseph Mackenzie, January 3, 1905
“I
began the morning following Ptarmigan trails in the fresh snow. Their tracks
stitched the drift in delicate patterns, ending abruptly where each had dove
headlong into the whiteness. I was astonished to flush three Ptarmigan from
beneath the snow itself. Their sudden eruption from a drift below my very feet
sent my heart near into my throat. Upon inspection I found the entrance to
their tunnel, a hidden gallery beneath the crust where they had passed the
night. To think these birds spend their hours beneath the snow, warm and
invisible, is almost beyond credulity. Such ingenuity in so humble a bird.” –
Personal diary, March 10, 1905