| Phalaropes | ||||||||||||
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Red-necked Phalarope | ||||||||||||
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| Species | ||||||||||||
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Red Phalarope, P. fulicaria Red-necked Phalarope, P. lobatus Wilson's Phalarope P. tricolor
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They are 6-10 in. (15-25 cm) in length, with lobed toes and a straight, slender bill. Predominately grey and white in winter, their plumage develops reddish markings in summer. They are especially notable for two things: their unusual nesting behavior, and their unique feeding technique.
| Table of contents |
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2 Feeding Technique 3 Habitat 4 Range |
The typical avian sex roles are reversed in the three Phalarope
species. Females are larger and more brightly colored than males.
The females pursue males, compete for nesting territory, and will
aggressively defend their nests and chosen mates. Once the females
lay their eggs, they begin their southward migration, leaving the males to incubate the eggs and feed the young.
When feeding, a phalarope will often swim in a small, rapid circle,
forming a small whirlpool. This behavior is thought to aid feeding by
raising food from the bottom of shallow water. The bird will reach
into the center of the vortex with its bill, plucking small insects
or crustaceans caught up therein.
Red and Red-necked Phalaropes are unusual amongst shorebirds in that they are considered pelagic, that is, they spend a great deal of their lives outside the breeding season well out to sea.
Phalaropes are unusually halophilic (salt-loving) and feed in great numbers
in saline lakes such as Mono Lake in California and the
Great Salt Lake of Utah.Nesting Behavior
Feeding Technique
Habitat