alpine – BIG

Think of the ptarmigan as a kind of winter-hardy chicken. The alpine-dwelling bird, part of the grouse family, has feathered feet, the better for walking on snow, and plumage well-adapted to keeping it camouflaged year-round. North America has three species of ptarmigan (taar-muh-gnn): the rock ptarmigan, the willow ptarmigan, and the white-tailed ptarmigan (pictured). They’re all chunky-bodied, with short tails, legs, and wings.

What’s unique about this bird?

In winter, all three species are nearly snow white. Unlike other birds, they go through three plumage changes during the year. (Other species typically have only breeding plumage in spring and summer, and their drabber, non-breeding colours come winter.) As the snow starts to melt, ptarmigans begin to moult their white feathers into a barred pattern, starting from the head and progressing towards the tail. By mid-summer, males and females look nearly identical. Then, as the summer turns to fall, both turn more and more grey. The process is barely complete before the birds begin moulting back to white again.

How do they survive winter?

Winter is a lean time for the ptarmigan. Food sources are low, and the birds are limited to the few plants growing above the snow—they eat the seeds, buds, and twigs of low shrubs. Willow ptarmigans, in particular, are very good at balancing on spindly branches of higher shrubs to get at the catkins and other goodies. The rock ptarmigan, on the other hand, prefers to scratch down into the snow to get at buried vegetation such as purple saxifrage. This avian is also smart enough to take advantage of the craters dug by caribou and muskoxen. Interestingly, research shows that each ptarmigan species has evolved a slightly different bill size and shape to allow it to successfully feed through the winter.

But can they fly?

In the spring, ptarmigan chicks hatch in their shallow nests; it can take an entire day for a baby to break out of its shell. Then, it eats its own yolk sac for protein. Uh, yum? Within a few days, chicks can scurry, mouse-like, along the ground. By the time they’re a week old, they can fly—though they’re very clumsy. They get better at it, of course. (Less chicken-like.) Flying skills become especially important for our northern-dwelling adult rock ptarmigans. Some migrate as far as 800 km in a year, making them the most nomadic of the grouse species.

The pint-sized pika is the coolest mammal that you’ve never heard of. The rodent-like creature is actually a “lagomorph” and has more in common with hares and rabbits than it does with mice or rats. But if you’re familiar with Pokemon—and you are, because you live on this planet—you might be interested to learn that the species is the inspiration for the fictional character Pikachu. Who knew?

Like Pikachu, Canada’s two native pika species are squat-bodied. But unlike the cartoon, the real-life critter has short, round ears and practically no tail. There’s a reason for the round shape: a compact build allows the pika to survive in alpine terrain. In Canada, that’s the Rocky Mountains in Alberta and B.C., and further north throughout the Yukon.

Pikas cache food and sing like birds!

Pikas thrive in barren, rocky landscapes (they’re nicknamed “rock rabbits”). They don’t hibernate. To sustain themselves through winter, they cache food like squirrels and non-migrating birds. Before winter, a pika will gather bits of plants—wildflowers or grass—cure them to preserve them by letting them sit in the sun, and then hide them amid rocks. (This isn’t the species’ only bird-like behaviour; the mammals “sing” to defend territory and to attract mates in the spring.)

Winter is a pika’s preferred time of year. (Because their coat is thick year-round, too much time in the heat isn’t good for them; similar to the polar bear, the pika has been impacted by climate change and overall warming temperatures.) Even though they’re active all winter, they do spend more time in their rocky dens. Pikas live in colonies. This type of group living is a survival strategy. One pika can alert others to potential predators—hawks, weasels, and coyotes—by giving out a warning call.

How Canadian animals adapt to winter