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Red-necked Phalarope

Phalaropus lobatusOrder: CHARADRIIFORMESFamily: Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)

Red-necked Phalarope Portrait
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General

Red-necked Phalarope: Medium-sized sandpiper with brown-striped dark gray back, mottled gray breast, and white throat and belly. Head, nape, and flanks are gray. Neck and upper breast are rust-brown. Bill is thin and black. Female is more brightly colored with darker face and smaller white throat patch. Winter adult has gray crown, eyestripe, and upperparts, and white underparts. Juvenile resembles winter adult but is browner.

Range and Habitat

Red-necked Phalarope: Breeds in the Arctic south to James Bay, the Aleutians, and the southern tip of Greenland. Spends winters off Peru, the southern Arabian Peninsula, and Indonesia. Inhabits open ocean and beaches; found on shallow rivers, lakes, and mudflats during migration.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"twit", "whit"

Interesting Facts

 The Red-necked Phalarope (formerly the Northern Phalarope) is the smallest of the three phalaropes and has the shortest bill.

 They have lobed toes to assist with their swimming.

 Among Phalaropes, the female has brighter plumage, and the male incubates the eggs and cares for the young.

 A group of phalaropes has many collective nouns, including a "dopping", "swirl", "twirl", "whirl", and "whirligig" of phalaropes.



Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Red-necked Phalarope
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family Sandpiper (Scolopacidae)_blue
Species Phalaropus lobatus
Length7.5 - 8 Inches
Wingspan14.5 Inches

Red-necked Phalarope

Red-necked Phalarope: Medium sandpiper with brown-striped dark gray back, mottled gray breast, and white throat and belly. Head, nape, and flanks are gray. Neck and upper breast are rust-brown. Bill is thin and black. Flight is swift and swallowlike with rapid wing beats, quick movements, and turns.

● Song: "twit", "whit"

● Foraging & Feeding: Red-necked Phalarope: Diet consists mainly of insects; forages by spinning quickly in shallow water to create a vortex, churning up tiny invertebrates.

● Breeding & nesting: Red-necked Phalarope: Three to four buff olive eggs spotted with brown are laid in a shallow dip on marshy tundra. Nest is lined with grass and leaves. Incubation ranges from 17 to 21 days and is carried out by the male.

● Similar species: Red-necked Phalarope: Red Phalarope is larger, darker, has a strongly striped back and blacker crown, more distinct wing stripe, and more needlelike bill; bill is yellow with a black tip in breeding season.

Flight Pattern

Swift shallow flight with rapid wing beats.
Red-necked Phalarope Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Red-necked Phalarope: Breeds in the Arctic south to James Bay, the Aleutians, and the southern tip of Greenland. Spends winters off Peru, the southern Arabian Peninsula, and Indonesia. Inhabits open ocean and beaches; found on shallow rivers, lakes, and mudflats during migration.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationAbundant
MigrationMigratory
Weight1.2 Ounces