This photograph was taken at Polar Bear Pass, Bathurst Island, Nunavut in May 1986.

The Rock Ptarmigan is fully adapted for life on the Arctic tundra. All ptarmigan species have feathered feet, which function like snowshoes, enabling them to walk on top of soft snow. In winter the Rock Ptarmigan is white except for the usual black streak near the eye. Males in breeding condition exhibit a vivid scarlet patch of exposed skin, called a comb, atop the eyelid area. Their winter diet consists mainly of willow and birch buds. The range of this species is circumpolar: it is found in northern Canada, Alaska, central Asia, mountainous parts of Europe, Iceland and Greenland.