Lagopus is a genus of in the grouse subfamily commonly known as ptarmigans (). The genus contains four living species with numerous described subspecies, all living in tundra or cold upland areas.
Taxonomy and etymology
The
genus Lagopus was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the
willow ptarmigan (
Lagopus lagopus) as the
type species.
The genus name
Lagopus is derived from
Ancient Greek lagos (λαγος), meaning "
hare,
rabbit", + pous (πους), "foot", in reference to the feathered feet and toes typical of this cold-adapted group (such as the
snowshoe hare). The specific epithets
muta and
leucura were for a long time misspelt
mutus and
leucurus, in the erroneous belief that the ending of
Lagopus denotes masculine gender. However, as the Ancient Greek term λαγωπους is of feminine gender, and the specific epithet has to agree with that, the feminine
muta and
leucura are correct.
The English name ptarmigan comes from the Scottish Gaelic name for rock ptarmigan, tarmachan (), meaning “croaker”, which refers to the bird’s frog-like call. The p- was added due to a mistaken belief in a Greek origin, as if the word were related to the Greek word πτερόν ( pterón), 'wing'.[Lockwood, W. B. (1984). The Oxford Book of British Bird Names. Oxford University Press .]
Description
The four species are all sedentary specialists of cold regions. Willow ptarmigan is a circumpolar
Taiga species, white-tailed ptarmigan is a North American
Alpine climate bird, and rock ptarmigan breeds in both
Arctic and mountain habitats across
Eurasia and North America. With the exception of the red grouse (until recently considered a subspecies of willow ptarmigan),
all have a white winter plumage that helps them blend into the snowy background. Even their remiges are white, while these feathers are black in almost all birds (even birds that are predominantly white, such as the
Bali starling) because
melanin makes them more resilient and thus improves flight performance. The
Lagopus grouse apparently found it easier to escape
Predation by not being seen than by flying away.
These are hardy vegetarian birds, but are also taken by the developing young. In all species except for the willow ptarmigan, the female takes all responsibility for nesting and caring for the chicks, as is typical with gamebirds.
Species
The genus contains four species:
|
|
Willow ptarmigan (also willow grouse)
Lagopus lagopus
(Linnaeus, 1758) | | Summer: marbled brown and reddish with black tail and white underparts; winter: most subspecies have white plumage except for black tail. | 10–20 subspecies. Circumarctic range in forest and moorlands of northern Eurasia and North America. Status: Least Concern. |
Red grouse
Lagopus scotica
(Latham, 1787) | | Reddish brown with black tail all year round | Monotypic. Great Britain and Ireland |
Rock ptarmigan
Lagopus muta
(Montin, 1781) | | Summer: grey and brown upperparts; winter: white plumage. Distinguish from willow ptarmigan by habitat – higher elevations and more barren ground. | 20–30 subspecies. Arctic and subarctic Eurasia and North America on rocky mountainsides and tundra. Status: Least Concern. |
White-tailed ptarmigan
Lagopus leucura
(Richardson, 1831) | | Summer: greyish-brown and speckled; winter: white plumage. Males identifiable by reddish eyecombs. The smallest ptarmigan. | Alpine areas above the timberline in North America from Alaska and western Canada to New Mexico. Status: Least Concern. |
Fossil record
Two
Prehistory species and two
Chronospecies are only known from
:
-
Lagopus atavus (Zanclean of Bulgaria? - Piacenzian)
-
Lagopus balcanicus (Late Pliocene of Varshets, Bulgaria)
[Boev, Z. 1995. "Middle Villafranchian birds from Varshets (Western Balkan Range - Bulgaria)". In: Peters, D. (ed.). Acta palaeornithologica. 3. Symposium SAPE. 5. Internat. Senckenberg-Konferenz 22–26 Juni 1992. - Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg. Frankfurt a. M., 181: 259-269.]
-
Lagopus lagopus noaillensis (Pleistocene of Western Europe)
-
Lagopus mutus correzensis (Pleistocene of W Europe)
-
Madge, Steve; McGowan, Philip J. K. & Kirwan, Guy M. (2002): Pheasants, partidges and grouse: a guide to the pheasants, partridges, quails, grouse, guineafowl, buttonquails and sandgrouse of the world. Christopher Helm, London. .
External links
