The winter ptarmigan (the “p” is silent) can be very difficult to see, especially in low light.
Apart from the small dark beak and eyes, they are incredibly white. I have at times mistaken them for lumps of snow, especially when they are on the roads; groups of them will land there.
Completely adapted to their environment, they are white in the winter and a mottled brown in the summer. How many ptarmigan do you see in the photo?
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Thanks for sharing
You’re welcome. 🙂
At first glance I thought you had made snowballs and shaped them into birds. I see three. Are there more hidden?
They totally blend in! There are three birds in the photo, so you spotted all of them. I at first didn’t see the one on the right, though!
I thought the same as Adele – if it weren’t for the eyes they would blend in totally.
Yes, but when you see them sitting in the snow like that, their little eyes and beaks look like small pieces of dirt or bits of dead leaves!
Pretty good camouflage.
I like the looks of these birds. I never knew about them before.
They are very cute and even their little feet are covered in white feathers, but these are not very intelligent birds. I have seen ravens or owls pick them off one by one and the others left behind don’t seem to register the danger at all.
They look like little snowballs!! It’s amazing how well they blend into the snow.
That’s an excellent description! They do look like that, and certainly I have mistaken them at times for little snow chunks. Their camouflage is their only defense as I have seen them ignore the predators around them.
If it wasn’t for their eyes, they might blend into the background entirely! Fascinating little birds.
Yes, I agree. Their eyes are so small that they could be mistaken for little pieces of grit in the snow. They are indeed fascinating. Their only protection is their camouflage and they seem completely oblivious to danger as a result. I have seen predators picking them off while the remaining birds don’t seem to notice the danger at all. There are no attempts to hide or fly away.
I just found your posts. Thanks so much for the great photos and excellent stories. I look forward to more.
Thank you. You’re very welcome. 🙂