Lagopus
Sign in to saveLagopus is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily commonly known as ptarmigans (). The genus contains four living species with numerous described subspecies, all living in tundra or cold upland areas.
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Lagopus is a genus of grouse birds commonly known as ptarmigans, which are found in cold, open landscapes like tundra and high mountain regions. The group includes four living species with many subspecies, making them notable examples of how birds adapt to survive in harsh, frozen environments.
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Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Tetraoninae
- Image
- Lagopus muta2.jpg
Show 4 more facts
- P105
- genus
- P910
- Category:Lagopus
- P523
- Zanclean
- P2974
- taiga
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Article
6 sectionsContents
- Taxonomy and etymology
- Description
- Species
- Fossil record
- References
- External links
Lagopus is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily commonly known as ptarmigans (). The genus contains four living species with numerous described subspecies, all living in tundra or cold upland areas.
==Taxonomy and etymology== The genus Lagopus was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) as the type species. The genus name Lagopus is derived from Ancient Greek (), meaning "hare, rabbit", + (), "foot", in reference to the feathered feet and toes typical of this cold-adapted group (such as the snowshoe hare). The specific epithets muta and leucura were for a long time misspelt mutus and leucurus, in the erroneous belief that the ending of Lagopus denotes masculine gender. However, as the Ancient Greek term is of feminine gender, and the specific epithet has to agree with that, the feminine muta and leucura are correct.