The period during which the number of ptarmigans in Iceland decreased, which began in the 2005/2006 season, has come to an end and the growth of the bird stock, only visible in east Iceland last year, has now extended to all parts of the country.
The total size of the ptarmigan nesting stock last spring was 225,000 birds and the hunting stock after the summer is believed to be 810,000 birds, Fréttabladid reports.
Ólafur K. Nielsen, an ecologist at the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, said the current nesting stock is twice the size of the nesting stock in the spring of 2007, which indicates that the ptarmigan stock will continue to grow in size in the coming years.
Ptarmigan is a traditional Christmas dish in Iceland.
Click here to read more about the Icelandic ptarmigan stock.
