Icelandic ptarmigan population declines due to summer snowstorm impacts

This summer, unprecedented conditions for ptarmigan nesting in northern Iceland have raised concerns, according to the Icelandic Institute of Natural History. A summer snowstorm in early June resulted in many female ptarmigans abandoning their nests. It is estimated that half of the chicks that hatched this summer did so at least a month later than usual.

Counting efforts this summer indicated a significant decline in the ptarmigan population in Northeast Iceland, marking the fourth lowest count since monitoring began in 1964. The data suggests that the summer snowstorm is likely responsible for this population decrease. Historically, the region saw about seven to nine chicks per female bird, while this year’s count showed only 4.5 chicks per female, indicating a notable drop.

Furthermore, close to 300 female ptarmigans were observed during this summer’s counts, averaging about 50 per counting area. A stark disparity in the ratio of females without chicks was noted across different regions. In Southern, Western, and Northwest Iceland, the ratio was averaging six chicks per female, with up to seven percent of females without chicks. In contrast, in the Westfjords, Northeast, and East Iceland, the situation was worse, with about 4.5 to 5.2 chicks per female and 23 to 28 percent of females without chicks.

The Icelandic Institute of Natural History classifies the ptarmigan population in these areas as poor by historical standards, attributing the situation to the early June snowstorm and the subsequent wet weather in June and July, which negatively impacted the ptarmigan population.