ptarmigan
Americannoun
-
ptarmigans,
plural
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ptarmigan
plural
noun
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any of several arctic and subarctic grouse of the genus Lagopus, esp L. mutus, which has a white winter plumage
-
(sometimes capital) a created domestic fancy pigeon with ruffled or curled feathers on the wings and back
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ptarmigan
1590–1600; pseudo-Greek spelling of Scots Gaelic tarmarchan, akin to Irish tarmanach
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Introducing electric snowmobiles required the outfitter to come up with tours that cover less ground in search of reindeer, elk and ptarmigan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
“You might think well, species like these: The ptarmigan or the marmots or whatever it is can just go uphill where it’s as cold as they like it,” Bond said.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 23, 2023
Scotland is home to Arctic specialists - birds like dotterel, snow bunting and ptarmigan - which are found high on Scotland's mountains.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2022
A few years from now, these stems will develop into a barrier against erosion, a carbon sink and a habitat for distinctive Highland birds such as the capercaillie and ptarmigan.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 25, 2020
Arctic foxes and hares and round, puffy birds called willow ptarmigan that were brown in summer and turned white in winter.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
The alpine meadows of the Cascades used by breeding ptarmigans could decline by 95% in the next five decades under current climate-change projections, according to the center.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 23, 2023
We passed grizzly bear mothers lumbering alongside cubs, flocks of ptarmigans and scurrying porcupines.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 2, 2021
The herders watch the birds, the snow buntings and ptarmigans, the ravens and bluethroats.
From Scientific American ● Nov. 18, 2019
With the help of their Norwegian colleagues, the scientists set up a "little gym" for their ptarmigans, and kept the room at a chilly 6C to make sure the birds were comfortable.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2012
The few ptarmigans killed now and again were of small assistance.
From The Gaunt Gray Wolf A Tale of Adventure With Ungava Bob by Dillon Wallace
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