White partridge.

Ptarmigan in Occitan and Lagopède alpin in Franco-Provençal, it is one of the protagonists of the high mountain. It is the rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta), an alpine bird the size of a pigeon that lives at high altitudes, above trees and shrubs. Up there, at the boundary between high-altitude meadows and scree, generally between 1800 and 2700 meters, climbing above 3000 meters in summer and autumn.

It is an "ice relic," that is, a species of arctic origin which spread to the whole of Europe during the ice age. With the end of the ice ages, it found itself forced to migrate to the high altitudes of the mountain ranges of the Alps, Pyrenees, and Balkans. The bird is therefore native to polar latitudes, and this is also attested by a toponymic curiosity: beyond the Arctic Circle, between Norway and Finland, there is the town of Kiruna, whose name derives from Giron, which in the Sami language means precisely rock ptarmigan.

Mimicry

The rock ptarmigan belongs to the Tetraonidae family and is capable of displaying a double coat thanks to the molting of its plumage, which changes coloration with the seasons, a stratagem to hide and protect itself from enemies. The winter plumage is completely white, except for the beak, claws, and tail feathers, which remain black. The summer plumage is instead gray-brown in males, and brown-fulvous in females, while the wings and undertail remain white.

Over time, the summer coat fades to a gray color, eventually turning white. Thanks to this strong mimicry, the ptarmigan is difficult to spot: in summer, it blends in with the ground and rocks, while in winter, it benefits from the snow, making it almost invisible when resting. Sexual dimorphism. The sexes have differences: the male has a dark stripe (black in autumn-winter and dark brown in summer and until mid-September) called the "rein" that joins the beak to the eye, and a well-developed reddish caruncle on the brow. In the female, the feathers between the eye and beak are light brown in summer and white in winter, while the caruncle is underdeveloped.

Origins of the Name

The name of the rock ptarmigan's genus, Lagopus, derives from the Greek lagos, which means "hare," and pus, which means "foot," with a clear reference to the bird's feathered feet that protect it from the cold and resemble those of the willow ptarmigan. The adjective muta comes from Latin and means "mute," referring to the male's song, similar to a croak, a hoarse "kroo rr kkkk." This voice of the rock ptarmigan can be heard in song especially during the "mating period" between March and June, during the early hours of light.

Reproduction

It is a gregarious bird that rarely lives alone for short periods; in the spring, couples identify the nesting site, in summer they expand their territory, climbing in altitude, while in autumn they gather in groups, called "brigades." The mating period occurs in May and can continue until the first decade of June. During the courtship period, males occupy a territory that they defend with song and perform displays to attract females, rarely leading to combat (a behavior much more evident in the rock ptarmigan, another animal present in the Alps that belongs to the Tetraonidae family). During these displays, the red caruncles of the males are very prominent.

The female will choose the strongest and most determined male to defend the territory, forming a stable pair throughout the breeding season. The eggs (from 4 to 8) are laid in a prepared ground hollow, and the male will remain nearby for the entire incubation period (21-24 days). The chicks hatch in July and for at least 15 days, they will depend on the mother. If the first brood is lost due to predation or other external factors, the female is capable of laying again and completing a second brood.

Conservation Status

According to the Italian Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the rock ptarmigan is listed in Italy in the red list of endangered species as "vulnerable," while internationally it is considered of "least concern," although in decline.

The main threats to the alpine population of the species, with complex dynamics and still largely unknown aspects, are attributed to climate change and alterations and fragmentation of its habitat; global warming and the reduction of high-altitude pastures, where the rock ptarmigan feeds and reproduces, have a negative impact, along with often unsustainable forms of tourism that heavily disturb the animal in its natural habitat, both in winter and summer. Practices such as ski mountaineering, off-piste skiing, and heliskiing, combined with the construction of new ski lifts, put the rock ptarmigan at significant risk. In addition to tourist disturbance, there is also hunting: the rock ptarmigan in Italy and many European countries is still a huntable species. Recently, even Piedmont has authorized hunting of the rock ptarmigan, albeit with a limited number of captures.

In a context of threats and climate imbalances, conservation efforts promoted by European directives, national regulations, and specific projects are advancing, in many cases improving the conservation status of various particularly protected species or listed in the Birds Directive.

Recently, the Birds in Europe 4: the fourth assessment of Species of European Conservation Concern, the most important study on the conservation status of wild birds in our continent, indicates an improvement in the conservation status of the ptarmigan. The study was published by Cambridge University Press on June 30, 2023, and was launched in Italy by Lipu, confirming a breeding European population of rock ptarmigan between 309,000 and 846,000 pairs.

The Piedmont Region and its Protected Areas are committed to safeguarding the rock ptarmigan and more generally the typical alpine fauna through coordinated data collection and analysis activities carried out by the "Typical alpine fauna" Reference Center, of which the Cozie Alps Protected Areas are part, together with the Management Body of the Monviso Protected Areas and the Management Body of the Ossola Protected Areas, which also acts as the authority.

The rock ptarmigan is a special focus due to European directives and the work of conservation authorities but is not safe from threats. With more courage, it would deserve absolute protection extended to all the Alps, to allow future generations to still enjoy the wild beauty of this ice relic.