Ptarmigans is actually sturdy people in the latest grouse loved ones one to purchase really of its life on to the floor at the otherwise over the treeline. Three varieties occur inside America: this new Willow Ptarmigan Lagopus lagopus, new White-tailed Ptarmigan Lagopus leucurus, additionally the Stone Ptarmigan Lagopus mutus.
Like other grouse, ptarmigans has actually chunky regulators, small tails and foot, and short, round wings. Willow Ptarmigans weighing from 450 to help you 800 grams, White-tailed Ptarmigans weighing on 350 grams, and you will Rock Ptarmigans is actually advanced sizes.
All ptarmigans enjoys feathered feet, novel one of chickenlike birds, and that improve their capacity to walk in snow. There is also light wings all year round. Inflate red combs significantly more than its attention, which are particularly obvious when you look at the territorial and you may courting men, are hidden in order to hardly visible in women.
Ptarmigans keeps three seasonal plumages a-year, rather than the a few that will be typical for many wild birds. Such plumages contain the wild birds, especially the people, better camouflaged constantly. Whereas Light-tailed Ptarmigans enjoys forever white-tail feathers, new tails away from Willow and you may Rock Ptarmigans are nevertheless black colored regarding the season. During the cold weather, male-and lots of women-Rock Ptarmigans recreation a black colored stripe you to offers through the eyes into the bill (as if they’d put-on charcoal masks to quit snow blindness), identifying him or her away from male Willow Ptarmigans.
In ptarmigans, new moult, otherwise losing regarding dated feathers, begins with the head and you can moves on on tail. Once the spring season snowmelt initiate, lady moult towards the a beneficial prohibited breeding plumage from brown, silver, and you may black. Female ptarmigans are difficult to tell apart in the springtime, however the overall colors of one’s Light-tailed Ptarmigan females try cooler when comparing to that from the brand new other several species. Breeding men decelerate its moult.
Grownups moult the trip feathers (wings and you can end) gradually-sustaining the capacity to travel at all times-and only shortly after a year, constantly regarding the low-breeding city
The fresh new Redhead Aythya americana was a proper-recognized and you can widely delivered Us dive duck. This new adult men is a large, grey-supported, white-breasted duck with a red-colored-chestnut lead and you can black shoulder and breasts. It is much like the bigger male Canvasback. At the romantic diversity, your mind appears puffy, having a-sudden temple and you will a preliminary, wide costs, since the Canvasback’s bill are stretched and you may hills down throughout the temple. The fresh new mature females is an enormous, brown-supported, white-breasted duck having a brown lead, whitish chin, sudden temple, small, large bill, and pearl-grey wing patches.
People Redheads, even though big, can be mistaken for lady Band-necked Ducks and you can scaups
In the fall young Girls with red hair resemble mature girls, although the nipple plumage was dull grey-brownish, in place of light. While in the November and you will December, the students begin to make the mature plumage, with almost completely person inside because of the February.
The fresh new genus Aythya, to which the fresh Girl with red hair belongs, includes several varieties, all of which are well modified to help you diving. The body is round and thicker which have large base, base problem on your body, and you will a standard bill. Human anatomy shapes start around the major, long-necked, long-charged Canvasback for the short-energized scaup. Brand new genus are illustrated inside the United states by Canvasback, Redhead, Better Scaup, Lower Scaup, and you can Band-necked Duck.
The latest Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla, just about 30 g when you look at the pounds and you can fourteen cm a lot of time, is among the most Canada’s tiniest shorebirds. Its title comes from the fresh partial webs between its base. Men and women are identical for the instead plain brownish or gray plumage regardless of if people try quite big. This new types might be hard to separate from other small sandpipers.
Semipalmated Sandpipers moult, otherwise lost, their body feathers every six months. The change for the greyish-brownish slide-wintertime plumage always begins into breeding basis happn free which will be finished after coming for the non-reproduction town. The brand new moult that takes place to your low-reproduction area just before spring season migration gives them a slightly brighter (a lot more brown) breeding plumage.