Buggy ptarmigan

OBSERVATION: My elder mother was brought some ptarmigans, they had bugs. Ptarmigans are not suppose to have bugs, she said first time she know of bugs in ptarmigans, shes 75. A young man went out across town and got the ptarmigan. He brought four to my mother that day. My younger sister was going to move them and she found that they had bugs. And my mom said, no way, ptarmigan don’t have bugs; ducks do but ptarmigan normally do not. There were a couple of bugs crawling around underneath the feathers, insects (like the size of a no-see-um) that were dark. They may have had wings because they were triangular in shape. This is important because there is not supposed to be bugs in the winter, or on winter birds. I would like to learn if there are bugs in the ptarmigan in other areas. Also I would like to know if this is due to climate change or an invasive insect. I wonder if these ptarmigan are safe to eat. Carol Wesley

LEO COMMENT: This observation has been forwarded onto the Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory at UAF. A consultation is pending. If you see birds like this or others that seem ill, contact us at: anthcleo@anthc.org.