You can tell that this picture was taken during the warm season because the ptarmigan has brown feathers!
Courtesy of BLM

Arctic Tundra Birds

There are over 100 species of birds that occupy the Arctic tundra in the summer. Everything from geese to owls to falcons fill the air and water. But almost all of them head south for the winter. Who are those birds that stay in the cold Arctic tundra during winter?

Some of them are members of the ptarmigan family. These birds make the tundra their home all year round. They are a speckled brown color in the summer, as shown in the photograph at the left, and change to a bright white in the winter. They eat leaves and berries.

Last modified February 6, 2007 by Lisa Gardiner.

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