Alaska State Bird: Willow Ptarmigan
In 1955 Alaska voted the Willow Ptarmigan its’ state bird. It is a grouse with brown feathers on its neck and back. It has a red comb on its head that gets larger in the summer and spring. It’s body has brown and white feathers intermixed. In the winter it’s feathers turn completely white camoflauging it from predators. The ptarmigan is the size of a small chicken.
The birds live in the tundras and thickets in Alaska and British Columbia. They eat flowers and insects during the summer and during the harsh winter they eat budsand twigs off of Alder/Birch and Willow trees.
The female lays 7 to 10 eggs on a hollowed out area of the ground, usually near rocks or logs. The female incubates the eggs for 3 weeks while the male stays protectively nearby. The chicks leave the nest when they are 10-12 days old. Several families will often flock together and migrate southward.
Enjoy the printable color sheet.
