Rock ptarmigan been allowed again since 2005, but is restricted to selected days, which are revised yearly and all trade of rock ptarmigan is illegal. In Thomas Bewick's "A History of British Birds" (1797) the species is named as "White Grouse" with alternatives "White Game, or Ptarmigan". The birds feed, records Bewick, "on the wild productions of the hills, which sometimes give the flesh a bitter, but not unpalatable taste: it is dark coloured, and has somewhat the flavour of the hare." Rock ptarmigan The rock ptarmigan (') is a medium-sized gamebird in the grouse family. It is known simply as the
White-tailed ptarmigan to hatch. Males remain in the vicinity of the nest until the eggs hatch, a period of about 23 days. The precocial young leave the nest six to twelve hours after hatching. They are at first covered with down but become fully fledged in seven to ten days. Ptarmigan chicks begin their lives eating insects. Once the chicks' digestive tracts and ceca are more fully developed, their diets shift to one of flowers and leaves. Hens choose foraging patches where plant species containing proteins are abundant. The hens call their chicks to these plants, which are critical for the growth