The willow ptarmigan received by far the most votes in a contest conducted by the Territorial Department of Education and the Education Section of the Alaska Native Service. It was sponsored by the Territorial Sportsmen, Inc. and was encouraged by the Alaska Sportsmen’s Council.
Alaska’s Governor was afraid that people might try to outlaw ptarmigan hunting if it became the state bird. He thought the Steller’s jay or the raven might be better choices. He noted that the raven was important in Tlingit (Indian) mythology, while the Steller’s jay was first discovered in Alaska.
But he signed the bill. The ptarmigan was officially adopted on February 4, 1955, before Alaska became a state.
A Feathered Sourdough
The willow ptarmigan is found nearly everywhere in Alaska’s high, treeless country. While most Alaskan birds fly south in winter, the ptarmigan is a year-round resident. (In winter, willow ptarmigan occasionally wander south to some of the northern states.) It’s also the only state bird that turns white in winter.
Willow ptarmigan are commonly hunted for subsistence and sport. A number of geographical features in Alaska have been named “Ptarmigan”—or the early prospectors’ version, “chicken.” (However, the town of Chicken, in Alaska’s Interior, was reportedly named because miners found gold nuggets the size of chicken feed in a nearby creek.)
A Global Citizen
Thousands of miles to the east, the willow ptarmigan was a candidate for the official bird of Newfoundland, and was later adopted as the official provincial game bird. The willow ptarmigan also lives in the Old World. In the British Isles, it’s known as the red grouse.
The rock ptarmigan also lives on both continents. It was adopted as the official bird of the Japanese prefecture of Toyama. (Prefectures are sort of like states.)
The third ptarmigan that lives in Alaska is the rock ptarmigan. It lives only in North America.
Familiar Neighbors
Alaska’s state bird is commonly preyed on by the gyrfalcon, the official bird of the Northwest Territories. Oh yes, the raven was later adopted as the official bird of Alaska’s neighbor to the east, the Yukon Territory. British Columbia, which borders Southeast Alaska, adopted the Steller’s jay.
Even the United States’ national bird, the bald eagle, got a piece of the action. Alaska boasts more bald eagles than any other state. They’re especially numerous in Southeast Alaska.
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