The term PTARMIGAN is a type of GROUSE, which is a type of bird. The word PTARMIGAN can be broken down into two words: GROUSE (6 letters) and RYPE (4 letters). GROUSE is a type of game bird found in the Northern Hemisphere, while RYPE is a genus of GROUSE native to Europe and Asia. Together, these two words form the term PTARMIGAN, which is a species of GROUSE found in the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America, Europe, and Asia.