Rock ptarmigan

(Montin
Rock ptarmigan
	A pair in spring plumage in Norway
	Display song, Glenshee, Scotland
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Galliformes
Family:	Phasianidae
Genus:	Lagopus
Species:	L. muta
Binomial name
	Lagopus muta; (Montin, 1781)
Subspecies
	some 20–30, including: L. m. muta (Montin, 1781); Scandinavian ptarmigan; L. m. rupestris (Gmelin, 1789); Canadian rock ptarmigan; L. m. helvetica (Thienemann, 1829); Alpine ptarmigan; L. m. japonica H. L. Clark, 1907; Japanese ptarmigan; L. m. millaisi Hartert, 1923; Scottish ptarmigan; L. m. hyperborea Sundevall, 1845; Svalbard ptarmigan;
	Rock Ptarmigan range
Synonyms
	Tetrao mutus Montin, 1781; Lagopus mutus (lapsus, see below);

The rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) is a medium-sized game bird in the grouse family. It is known simply as the ptarmigan in Europe. It is the official bird for the Canadian territory of Nunavut, where it is known as the aqiggiq (ᐊᕿᒡᒋᖅ), and the official game bird for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. In Japan, it is known as the raichō (雷鳥), which means "thunder bird". It is the official bird of Gifu, Nagano, and Toyama Prefectures and is a protected species nationwide. Unlike many arctic bird species, ptarmigan do not gain substantial mass to hibernate over winter.