Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus)

Willow ptarmigans are plump members of the grouse family native to the northern regions of Canada and Alaska. In the winter they don a bleak-white coat of feathers that keep them hidden in the snow - a perfect camouflage. These birds thrive in snowy weather thanks to a couple of adaptations. For one, their legs and feet are completely covered in fluffy feathers that allow them to traverse on top of the snow like snowshoes. This allows the ptarmigans to march through the snow in search of leaf buds and berries. They also know how to construct burrows in the snow to keep warm akin to an igloo. In the summer, their coats turn brown and black to help blend in with vegetation and they acquire red “eyebrows” that possibly make them stand out to mates. A subspecies of Willow ptarmigan in Great Britain - known as the red grouse - maintains a summer coat year round.