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One of the most remarkable birds on the planet is the ptarmigan. Along with the snowshoe hare and the Arctic fox, ptarmigans are masters of disguise.

Ptarmigans change from dark colors in the summer to completely white in the winter. What makes ptarmigans unique is that they seem aware of the importance of their coloration. The shift from winter plumage to summer is a challenging time for these birds because of the risk of predation if they lose their camouflage. However, if they shed all of their feathers at once, they would be unable to fly. Instead, ptarmigans seek out patches of mud and dirt to bathe themselves in order to keep their camouflage effective.

The question is, “How do ptarmigans know to do this?” With a brain the size of a pea, these birds could not reason or plan this behavior. The three species of ptarmigans (rock, willow, and white-tailed) are designed to be aware of their environment and themselves. Joe Jackson wrote in Alaska magazine, “This is a bird that's hyperaware of what's around it, and, we now know, hyperaware of itself.”

Trying to explain the ptarmigan's astonishing behavior by chance is creative but not logical. It appears that an intelligence has designed a system that allows these birds to survive in a complex environment. We truly can “know there is a God through the things he has made” (Romans 1:20).

Picture credits:
Both photos © Tarpan 74/Bigstock.com

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