Albania, Armenia (NB), Austria (NB), Azerbaijan (NB), Belarus (NB), Belgium (NB), Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria (NB) (P), Canada (B) (NB) (P), China (mainland), Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska) (NB), Czech Republic (NB), Denmark (NB) (P), Estonia (NB), Finland (B) (NB) (P), France (NB), Georgia (NB) (P), Germany (NB), Greece (NB) (P), Hungary (NB), Iran [Islamic Republic of], Italy (NB), Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (NB), Latvia (NB), Lithuania (NB), Luxembourg, Macedonia [The Former Yugoslav Republic of], Mexico, Moldova [Republic of] (NB), Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands Antilles (NB), North Korea, Norway (B), Poland (NB), Romania (NB) (P), Russia (Asian) (B), Russia (Central Asian) (B) (NB) (P), Russia (European) (B) (NB) (P), Serbia, Slovakia (Slovak Republic) (NB), Slovenia (NB), South Korea, Spain (NB), St Pierre and Miquelon (B) (NB), Sweden (B) (NB) (P), Switzerland, Taiwan (China), Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine (NB) (P), United Kingdom (NB), USA (B), Uzbekistan.
Vagrant to Bermuda, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Malta, Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands, Tunisia.
Unknown to Afghanistan.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is 500,000 (2010).
Subspecies
Subspecies menzbieri sometimes merged into kamtschatkensis.
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
lagopus (Pontoppidan, 1763) - Northern Eurasia, from Scandinavia east to area of R Ob and R Yenisey. Winters mainly in central Europe and central Asia.
menzbieri Dementiev, 1951 - North-eastern Asia east of R Ob and R Yenisey. Winters south to central Asia, northern China and Japan.
kamtschatkensis Dementiev, 1931 - Kamchatka; presumably winters in east-central Asia.
sanctijohannis (Gmelin, JF, 1788) - Alaska and northern Canada. Winters south to central and southern USA.
The Reader's Digest Book of British Birds 1980, 3rd Edition, Drive Publications Ltd ISBN 0 340 25308 8
Birds in Colour Campbell, B., 1960, Penguin Books Ltd
The Pocket Guide to Nest and Eggs Fitter, R.S.R., 1954, Collins
RSPB Handbook of British Birds Holden, P., Cleeves, T., 2002, A & C Black ISBN 0 7136 5713 8
Birds of Britain and Europe Sterry, P., et al., 2001, AA Publishing ISBN 0 7495 3068 5
The Popular Handbook of British Birds Hollom, P.A.D., 1973, H.F. & G. Witherby Ltd ISBN 0 85493 002 7
BirdLife International Species Factsheet