“Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk⁣. I’m a ptarmigan, no time to talk...” Ptime to strut! Ptarmigans are year-round residents in @DenaliNPS. In winter, they may travel great distances searching for food. The feet of ptarmigan are feathered, and these rather stiff feathers provide them with good support for walking on snow. In winter, it becomes white except for its tail and eye-patch, which remain black. “Ptarmigan” is derived from a Scottish Gaelic word tàrmachan which means “croaker.” (The silent initial ‘p’ was added later. Because why not?) Croaker? Both males and females produce a series of nasal clucks and growls. Other calls sound like a scream, hiss, purr, disco-era falsetto, or a peep. Image: A series of images of a willow ptarmigan strutting across a snow packed landscape at Denali National Park and Preserve. #winteradaptations #winter #ptarmigan #denali #strut #disco #nature