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Willow Ptarmigan, Lagopus lagopus

Alaska, Bruce Museum Collection 4993

The Willow Ptarmigan is the official state bird of Alaska. This specimen is one of three collected by Bruce Museum Curator Paul Griswold Howes and John Schaler in 1920. The white plumage helps camouflage the bird in the winter snow. This bird remains in excellent condition despite being more than a century old.

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