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Species authority page

White-tailed ptarmigan

Lagopus leucura · Ptarmigan · Grouse · Upland game birds

White-tailed ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura): Smallest North American grouse, 30–33 cm. White tail feathers (hard to see except in flight). This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and dateOpen the white-tailed ptarmigan map

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

White-tailed ptarmigan in mottled plumage among low vegetation
Adobe Stock · Standard License (asset 389359481)
Scientific name
Lagopus leucura
Family
Phasianidae
Range
Resident from central Alaska, Yukon and the southwestern Mackenzie south through the mountains of British Columbia, Alberta and Vancouver Island to the Washington Cascades and the Rockies as far as northern New Mexico; introduced in the Sierra Nevada of California and in Oregon and Utah. It is the only ptarmigan south of Canada.
Biology

How to identify it

Smallest North American grouse, 30–33 cm. [1][2][3]

White tail feathers (hard to see except in flight). [1][2][3]

Summer plumage mottled brown and gray; winter plumage entirely white except the dark eye and bill. [1][2][3]

Feathered legs and feet. [1][2][3]

Compared with the other ptarmigan (willow, rock): White-tailed is smaller, has a white rather than black tail and usually lives higher in the mountains. [1][2][3]

Species it is confused with

Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.

Field notes

  • Identification Do not identify White-tailed ptarmigan from colour alone. Compare structure, size, range and the listed similar species before making a field decision.[1][2][3]
Field knowledge

Where it lives

Rocky alpine tundra above timberline with low vegetation or damp alpine meadows near snowfields; in winter where willows extend above the snow. [1][2][3]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Crouches motionless when approached and is easily overlooked [1][2][3]

Feeds in flocks from late summer through winter, nipping buds, twigs and leaves of willow and other low alpine plants [1][2][3]

Moves to slightly lower elevations in winter, some up to 14 miles; females move farther than males [1][2][3]

Regulatory handoff

Where it is listed for legal take

These authorities list this species for legal take in their own regulations.

Conservation and protection

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Resident from central Alaska, Yukon and the southwestern Mackenzie south through the mountains of British Columbia, Alberta and Vancouver Island to the Washington Cascades and the Rockies as far as northern New Mexico; introduced in the Sierra Nevada of California and in Oregon and Utah. It is the only ptarmigan south of Canada.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. National Audubon Society · reviewed 2026-09-30

    National Audubon Society

  2. Colorado Virtual Library (Colorado State Library) · reviewed 2026-09-30

    Colorado Virtual Library (Colorado State Library)

  3. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe