n the alpine tundra, where food is scarce and shelter scarcer, birds tend to set up home), says Colorado Field Ornithologists’ Burke. Its thick layer of feathers—adorning the feet, eyelids, and nostrils—keeps it warm and changes color with the season (brown to blend in with rocks in the summer and white when snow falls). To spot one, Burke suggests bundling up for a winter hike: “Ptarmigan freeze if they hear you, so your best bet is to settle in, wait, and watch,” he says. “But glimpsing one is incredibly satisfying.”
