Alaska Fish & Wildlife News
October 2023
A Wing and a Tail
We want your wings and tails!
Cameron Carroll with the Small Game Program at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is asking bird hunters statewide to provide one wing and the tail fan from each harvested grouse and one wing and head from each harvested ptarmigan. Biologists use these samples to determine the age (wing) and sex of the bird (tail feathers for grouse and head for ptarmigan)- data that are critical in understanding the population productivity of game birds throughout Alaska.
Alaska is home to four species of grouse and three species of ptarmigan. And thanks, in part, to the wing and tail collection program, we know that spruce grouse and willow ptarmigan are consistently the most hunted upland bird species in Alaska every year.
Since the program began in 2011, more than 500 hunters from Utqiagvik to Metlakatla have contributed more than 12,000 samples from all seven Alaskan grouse and ptarmigan species. Due to limited access and the vast size of the state, wing donations from hunters are often the only data ADF&G biologists have from many populations of grouse and ptarmigan throughout the state. It has been particularly helpful for estimating population productivity (chick survival) from the previous breeding season, and to identify sex and age structure of the harvested population.
Wing envelopes are available in most area offices throughout the state. and are also available by mail, with postage paid on return envelopes, if you contact Cameron Carroll (see contact info below). You can also record date and location of harvest, place the wing in an individual paper bag, and drop it off at your local ADF&G office.
Ptarmigan capture videos – research and more
Guide to aging and sexing grouse and ptarmigan
More on small game hunting in Alaska
Cameron Carroll is the coordinator for Fish and Game’s statewide small game program. 907.459.7237 cameron.carroll@alaska.gov
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