A displaying male Sooty Grouse (top), and female Sooty Grouse (bottom)
Top: NPS/C. Roundtree; Bottom: NPS/S. Redman
Sooty Grouse Dendragapus fuliginosus
Habitat: subalpine Seasons: common year-round Size: length 20 in (50.8 cm), wingspan 26 in (66 cm) Sooty Grouse Calls
This common grouse is large, with a long neck and tail. Males are darker in coloring, with tail feathers tipped in lighter grey, while females are speckled grey-brown overall. Males have yellow "eyebrows". When displaying for mating, males puff up their throats to show apteria, bright yellow skin patches on either side of the neck, accompanied by deep, hooting calls.
White-tailed Ptarmigan (plumage in transition)
NPS Photo
White-tailed Ptarmigan Lagopus leucura
Habitat: alpine Seasons: uncommon year-round Size: length 12.5 in (31.7 cm), wingspan 22 in (56 cm) White-tailed Ptarmigan Calls
Ptarmigan are adapted for cold alpine areas of the park, with feathered feet that let them walk across snow as well as provide insulation. Their coloring also shifts with the seasons, from all white in winter to grey-brown speckles in summer when breeding. Males have orange "eyebrows" when breeding and darker black speckles on the neck and breast with a white belly. Ptarmigan were Federally Listed as "Threatened" in 2024. The loss and degradation of its habitat resulting from climate change will endanger the bird in the foreseeable future.
