The White-tailed Ptarmigan in summer makes its home mostly in terrain above the tree line, at elevations that can exceed 4,000 meters. Their range extends from Alaska to New Mexico, with habitats that are mostly treeless at the higher elevations of their range. Vegetation, due to heavy winds, tends to be 36 cm high or less. Trees, if present, tend to be stunted and molded by the high winds. At the lower part of the ptarmigan's elevational range, spruce, subalpine fir, and white fir may be found in small clusters in alpine meadows.
White-tailed Ptarmigans often forage in small, narrow spaces or openings that have formed due to freezing and thawing on steep slopes, where small plants have enough moisture and shelter to grow. They can also be found near streams or at the edges of melting snowfields. When snowstorms begin in autumn, ptarmigans move downslope to more sheltered areas, where willow, alder, and birch grow around meadows with sedges and grasses. As the weather turns severe in winter, some ptarmigans move below the tree line into forests.
During the summer and early fall hiking season, I try to seek them out as I make my way up to, and explore, alpine meadows and higher slopes. During the winter months, at lower elevations where shrubs like willow poke above the deep snowpack. This year, due to below-normal snowpack, half of the height of the willow was above the snow. I came across four White-tailed Ptarmigans resting after their morning consumption of willow buds. They blend in nicely with their surroundings, but with some time and effort, they can be spotted. And on some occasions, when they are close enough, I'm able to get a few good pictures.
