Ptarmigan hunting season begins
Ptarmigan hunting is a popular wing shooting sport in Iceland and the birds are a popular Christmas delicacy. Mbl.is/ Jón Sigurðarson
Hunting for ptarmigan begins next weekend for four consecutive weekends, counting twelve days in all.
Ptarmigan numbers are carefully controlled by the Icelandic Ministry for the Environment and Natural Resources The stock has been in decline for some years now and bird numbers have been below average. The Icelandic Institute of Natural History estimates that the current stock can withstand the hunting of 54 thousand this year.
Sale of ptarmigan is forbidden in Iceland and birds can only be obtained directly from hunters. The bird, which is brown in summer and white in winter, is one of Iceland's most traditional Christmas dishes.
