#raicho

2025.8.9 立山～五色ヶ原へ

The rock ptarmigan, or raichō in Japanese, is found at high altitudes in a mountainous area straddling parts of Nagano, Toyama, Gifu, and Niigata Prefectures. The raichō, whose name directly translates as “thunder bird,” has enjoyed revered status since ancient times as they were considered incarnations or messengers of the mountain kami. Its plumage, brown and speckled in the summer, turns snow-white in the winter months. Populations have come under pressure from climate change, but efforts to protect the birds have proven successful.

From Wikipedia Picture of the Day; March 19, 2018:

The Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) is a medium-sized gamebird in the grouse family. Averaging 34–36 cm (13–14 in) long, with a wingspan of 54–60 cm (21–24 in), this species feeds primarily on birch and willow buds and catkins. The rock ptarmigan breeds across arctic and subarctic Eurasia and North America and commonly has up to six chicks. This Japanese rock ptarmigan (L. m. japonica), locally known as the raichō (雷鳥) which means "thunder bird", in summer plumage on Mount Tsubakuro, Japan