Site Search User. Our work. Blogs More Cancel. Five facts you need to know about ptarmigans. Share Subscribe by email More Cancel. Ptarmigans have feathered feet Ptarmigans have highly modified, thickly feathered feet which act as little snowshoes, meaning these birds can walk atop even the softest snow.
Ptarmigans are masters of camouflage Ptarmigans are well practiced wallflowers, blending seamlessly into their surroundings. They moult regularly To maintain their natural camouflage ptarmigans moult their feathers three times a year — a phenomenon which is only seen in a few other species.
Scottish ptarmigans are just that Scottish The ptarmigans we have here in Scotland Lagopus muta millaisi are endemic, meaning they are not found anywhere else in the world.
Up 0 Down Reply More Cancel. Cookie Preferences. Accepting all non-essential cookies helps us to personalise your experience. The ptarmigan also has a double-coat of feathers. The inner coat down traps the heat while the outer coat of longer feathers keeps out the wind and snow. Muscles connected to the feathers enable these birds to fluff themselves up when it is cold to stay even warmer. Ptarmigans have feathers everywhere —on their eyelids, nostrils and even their feet!
With these adaptations, every inch of the ptarmigan can stay warm in the winter. Sometimes, adaptations can have more than one purpose. Looking at the ptarmigan foot see Figure 1 , how else does it look unusual compared with the feet of other birds? Figure 1.
The feathers of a ptarmigan's foot help it stay warm in the winter. We talked about feathers on the ptarmigan's feet providing warmth. How else could these feathers help the ptarmigan? Guide the class discussion to the possibility that the feet act as snowshoes. Yes, feathers on ptarmigan feet could act like snowshoes. Some other animals, such as snowshoe hares, have extra-large feet so that they can better walk through deep snow.
Let's take a look at a snowshoe to see how it works see Figure 2. Figure 2. Snowshoes increase floatation by distributing weight over a larger surface area.
Snowshoes work by spreading out a person's weight over a larger area than usual. We call this floatation. We can define floatation as the resistance to sinking into the snow. So, when using snowshoes, you have more floatation and it is harder for you to sink into the snow!
But, if you wore a really heavy backpack and increased your weight, the weight could be great enough for you to sink, even when wearing snowshoes. That is why snowshoes come in different sizes; you need bigger snowshoes if you are a bigger person or plan on carrying a really heavy backpack.
I have not told you whether or not feathers act like snowshoes for the ptarmigan; I have only suggested that perhaps they might. What is your hypothesis about whether these feathered feet give the ptarmigan more floatation? Ask students to talk with nearby students first, and then ask several students to explain their hypotheses and reasoning. How could we test whether ptarmigan feet act like snowshoes? Lead a few minutes of class brainstorming.
Do we need to bring in real ptarmigans to test our hypothesis? This could be a challenge. Could we model them instead? Engineers use models all the time when testing a hypothesis or designing a solution to a problem. How could we model a ptarmigan foot using simple materials available to us? Show some of the activity materials and also a photograph of a ptarmigan foot.
Lead groups to agree on modeling two ptarmigan "toes" with craft sticks at a set angle, with and without feathers. Today, each group will make model ptarmigan feet with and without feathers, and test how much weight each one takes to sink. It is a key mechanism of evolution.
What environments specifically support animals with floatation-capable feet? What other parts of animals' bodies would be useful for making them capable of floatation?
Graph Comparison : After all groups have tested their model ptarmigan feet and marked their results on the class graph, lead a group discussion about the data. Challenge students to design ptarmigan feet with the greatest floatation. They could investigate how the number and positioning of feathers affects the floatation.
They could also explore how the angle of the model foot changes the floatation. For older students, such as those in grades , have them test each model foot multiple times and average the results. Also have them discuss genetic variation; what would happen if in nature some ptarmigans had feathered feet and others did not? Based on the data generated by the experiment, would you expect that in the future, more ptarmigan would have feathered feet?
Discuss feathering from the perspective of natural selection. Schroeder, a wildlife biologist at Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, explains that the ptarmigan gets by on a remarkably plain diet of dry leaves and buds.
Still, the real test of winter survival is nightfall. Instead they burrow into the snow, creating cozy caves. The snow roost, explains Schroeder, can be a foot deep and offers a warm, comfortable alternative to frigid surface temperatures. Schroeder, who has worked with grouse for more than three decades, is among a group of researchers trying to understand how the ptarmigan is responding to climate change.
Other Arctic and alpine animals are under threat as their habitat literally melts around them, reducing their range and isolating ever-more fragmented populations.
After all, if these birds can survive the very worst of winter, perhaps with a little human help they can handle our warming world as well. Membership benefits include one year of Audubon magazine and the latest on birds and their habitats. Your support helps secure a future for birds at risk.
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