Wild Animals

Wild Ptarmigan High-Altitude Welfare

Ptarmigan are arctic-alpine birds confined to Scottish mountain summits, where climate change is shifting the vegetation zones that support them and reducing suitable habitat extent.

Key Facts

UK ptarmigan are confined to the Cairngorm massif and other high Scottish mountains above 700m
Their white winter plumage provides camouflage in snow but becomes conspicuous if snow cover is absent
Ptarmigan populations are declining as snow cover duration decreases with climate change
They feed on arctic-alpine plants including heather, crowberry and cloudberry

Welfare Considerations

Ptarmigan that retain white winter plumage during snow-free periods due to premature spring suffer elevated predation from foxes and raptors. Climate-driven vegetation change is reducing lichen and arctic plant availability that ptarmigan depend on. The welfare of individual ptarmigan is directly threatened by climate change through both increased predation risk and reduced food availability at high altitudes.

What You Can Do

Support climate action as a direct ptarmigan welfare intervention
Donate to Cairngorms Connect rewilding project that improves high-altitude habitat
Report ptarmigan sightings on mountain walks to county recorders
Advocate for national park management that considers climate change impacts on high-altitude wildlife