The Svalbard rock ptarmigan

In the vast and rugged wilderness of Svalbard, you may come across a remarkable type of bird. You may even pass by right next to one of them while hiking during the Polar Summer, or when skiing during the Northern Lights Winter and the Sunny Winter.
Though there’s no mistaking it when you suddenly hear intense flapping, or perhaps a loud burping noise, as a big ball of feathers flies up from the tundra.
Meet the Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan!

The Svalbard Rock Ptarmigan is a medium-sized bird, measuring around 35 centimeters in length and varying in weight between 490 and 1200 grams depending on the time of year. It’s a sub-species of the rock ptarmigan, and is both heavier and larger than its ptarmigan counterparts on the mainland. This sub-species is also the only land-inhabiting bird that resides in Svalbard all year round, making it a true local of Svalbard’s wilderness, as well as a master of survival.

During winter, both the males’ and females’ plumages are completely white, with the males being distinct with a black line stretching from their beak to their eyes. When mating season comes around, the males develop a distinct large fleshy red comb above their eyes, while the females develop a less visible red stripe above their eyes.

During April-May, the females change into their summer plumage with a more red-brown colour than the Scandinavian rock ptarmigan. The males keep their white plumage until July, before they as well get changed into their summer outfits which features a brown plumage from mid-August. By the end of September, they’ve fully changed back to their white winter plumage again. Younger birds may be more grey-brown than their parents.

Two behavioural traits that make these stubby birds a beloved and sometimes comical sight in the wild are their burping noises and tendencies to scurry around on the tundra without seemingly caring much about people being in the area.
While the females make a quieter sound, the males’ characteristic loud burping can be a surprising sound to hear coming from a “flying snowball”. While they’re masters of camouflage, the males' burping noise which signals that a female is close by is anything but subtle.

Being a terrestrial bird feeding on various plants throughout the year, you’ll usually find them walking leisurely on the tundra or on the snow with their snowshoe-like feathered feet while looking for something to eat.
They can seem surprisingly relaxed about people passing by in the area they’re in. If you’re lucky enough to observe one in Longyearbyen, it may very well happen that you'll spot it relaxing on someone’s balcony, house, or wandering by in between houses in search of food.
That doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to disturb them. While it may be tempting to get close to one that seems relaxed, you should always keep your distance to avoid disturbing the ptarmigan. (it’s got a busy schedule of feeding, survival and mating to get on with)

The males return to defend the same territories year after year in the end of March, as a preparation for the mating season, while the females pick different territories and males from year to year. Their mating season occurs in late May, and one male may have multiple females in their territory. Female number one may therefore lay their eggs first and have more chicks than female number two, which then lays their eggs later and so on.
After 21 days of nesting, the chicks hatch weighing just 16 grams, and will subsequently join their mother in leaving the nest after 1 to 2 days. It doesn’t take more than 10 to 12 days for the chicks to be able to fly, but they’ll stick with their mother for 10 to 12 weeks before they become independent.

While no concrete population estimations for the Svalbard rock ptarmigan throughout the entire archipelago, a monitoring programme launched in 2000 indicate low but stable densities varying yearly between 1 to 3 males per square kilometre.
They're a popular small game species among local hunters in Svalbard, and the annual level of hunting pose a risk to a well-managed population. However, climate change does include potential risks for them.
With an overlap in habitat use with the increasing population of pink-footed geese which shares their key food plants, this increases the possible competition for food. Additionally, with possible climate induced fluctuations in the access to food sources such as reindeer carrion and breeding geese for the Arctic fox, the predation rates in Svalbard rock ptarmigan may as a result also be affected.

For wildlife photographers, the Svalbard rock ptarmigan is a beloved subject for photography all year round . Tending to sit still while observing its surroundings makes it a wonderful subject to photograph, and it’s recommended to bring a tele lens if you're looking to get a close-up photo at a distance that doesn’t disturb the bird.
If you don’t have one yourself then you don’t have to worry, as you can rent both a long tele-lens and a camera to go with it during your stay in Longyearbyen.
While you may be lucky enough to spot one within the safety of Longyearbyen, heading just right outside of town may grant you better chances all year round. To ensure that your safety and polar bear protection is taken care of outside the town limits, it’s highly recommended to join an organised photo safari, or hire a professional private guide so that you can safely focus entirely on your photography.

Read more about the Svalbard rock ptarmigan on the Norwegian Polar Institute’s webpage here.