Diet
The Willow Ptarmigan has a varied and seasonal diet . The bird is herbivorous for most of its life and subsists on various plant materials . As juveniles, they may feed on insects due to an inability to digest plant material caused by underdeveloped cecums . In the summer, their diet is highly varied and may consist of berries, flowers, leaves, twigs, and seeds. During the winter, the majority of a Willow ptarmigan’s nutrition is obtained from shrubs such as Salix alaxensis . Recently, there has been and increase in shrub expansion in arctic Alaska that is thought to be greatly affecting the Willow ptarmigan’s diet . Combined with snow depth, ptarmigan browsing greatly shapes the landscape of the area . When the snow is very deep, L. lagopus cannot access the shorter shrubs as they are covered, so they will subsequently eat the taller species available . This will create a feedback cycle extending through the entire ecosystem . Contrarily, in winters with below average snowfall, the browsing of the ptarmigan will not have as drastic an effect as its browsing will be spread out across . It is also believed that the greening of parts of the arctic is affecting Willow ptarmigan populations by altering the shape and size of the shrubs they feed on .
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