ptarmigan
TAR-mih-gun
A grouse of the high plateau that changes its plumage to white in winter — invisible against snow, visible against everything else. Ptarmigan nest high, eat heather buds, and are among the few birds that stay on the mountain year-round.
Etymology
Scottish Gaelic: tàrmachan, possibly from tàrm (origin, source). The silent p was added in the 17th century by scholars who wrongly assumed a Greek origin (pteron, wing).
*
Surprise Me With a Word