White-tailed ptarmigan listed as "Vulnerable". This bird serves as an indicator species for the alpine tundra, and denotes overall ecosystem health. It is not a conservation concern and is abundant in alpine zones across North America, indicating that this region is not undergoing dramatic climatic, temperature, or precipitation shifts. The lack of overgrazing by cattle, the lack of human development in alpine zones, the difficulty in accessing its remote habitat, the low densities at which it occurs and the laws regarding the limits to hunting bags allow the white-tailed ptarmigan to thrive. White-tailed ptarmigan The white-tailed ptarmigan ("Lagopus leucura"), also known as
Arctic Report Card video that summarizes the Report Card. In 2015, Arctic sea extent at the end of the winter was the lowest during the satellite record and the winter maximum occurred 15 days earlier than in the past. The sea ice minimum at the end of summer was the 4th lowest extent on record. These changes are having profound impacts in both the marine and terrestrial ecosystems and in sea surface temperatures. Arctic Report Card The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Arctic Report Card presents annually updated, peer-reviewed information on recent observations of environmental conditions in the Arctic relative to historical records.