Willow ptarmigan seeds and berries during the summer and largely subsisting on the buds and twigs of willow and other dwarf shrubs and trees during the winter. The willow ptarmigan is a medium to large ground-dwelling bird and is the most numerous of the three species of ptarmigan. Males and females are about the same size, the adult length varying between with a wingspan ranging from . The weight is . It is deep-chested and has a fairly long neck, a broad bill, short feathered legs and a moderately short rounded tail. In the summer, the male's plumage is marbled brown, with
Ptarmigan Pass (Sawatch Range) the Eagle River Valley near Red Cliff. Ptarmigan Pass (Sawatch Range) Ptarmigan Pass (elevation 11,765 ft) is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States. It is located on the crest of the northern end of the Sawatch Range, along the border of Eagle and Summit counties, south of Vail Pass. The pass is traversed by a jeep trail that is passable by four-wheel drive vehicles and on foot. 2WD vehicles will only make it to the summit from the west; the east side is rocky and boggy at times. The trail connects