Willow ptarmigan by the fact that it is not generally found above the tree line while the rock ptarmigan prefers more elevated, barren habitat. The summer plumage is browner and in the winter, the male willow ptarmigan lacks the rock ptarmigan's black stripe between the eyes and bill. The white-tailed ptarmigan ("Lagopus leucura") in North America is smaller, has a white tail and finely-barred greyer plumage and lives permanently above the tree line. The distinctive British Isles subspecies "L. l. scoticus" (red grouse) was once considered a separate true British species but is now classified as a sub-species. This moorland bird is
Ptarmigan (sternwheeler) allowed the vessel to be more capable of pushing barges, which increased the vessel's utility and effective cargo capacity. "Ptarmigan" was placed on the Columbia River route that began at Golden and ran south, at least during high water, to Columbia Lake, the ultimate source of the Columbia River. In 1903, soon after completion, "Ptarmigan" was sold to the Columbia River Lumber Company, which hired Armstrong to manage its steamboat operations. In 1907 "Ptarmigan" hit a snag and sank (A snag is a sunken log jammed in the river bottom but sticking up through the water to just below the