Red-necked Phalarope • Phalaropus lobatus
Top: red-necked phalarope in breeding plumage. Photo by Julian Heavyside. Bottom: red-necked phalaropes in winter plumage. Photo by Caroline Fox.
Identification
The red-necked phalarope is a small, elegant shorebird. It is sparrow-sized and has a thin, delicate-looking bill. It gets its name from a chestnut red neck patch that is only present in breeding adults. This patch is fairly distinctive on breeding females and somewhat duller on breeding males. The head of breeding adults is mostly dark; some of this dark patch disappears in winter plumage, leaving a dark cap and eye patch. Breeding adults have a dark back with buff stripes, while winter adults have a blue-grey back. Both plumages have light undersides and a bold white wing stripe.
Habitat & Range
This species is found along the Central Coast during its migration northward from late March to May, and southward from late June to early September. During migration spends time on open ocean, on beaches and flats, and along rivers and lakes. It breeds in the Arctic and subarctic tundra of North America and winters at sea in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also found in Europe and Asia. More distribution and migration information is available in the BC Conservation Data Centre Species Summary.
Find more information at the British Columbia Breeding Bird Atlas here.
Similar Species
The other phalarope species found on the Central Coast is the red phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius). Breeding adults of this species are mostly chestnut red. Winter adult plumage is very similar to that of the red-necked phalarope, except the red-necked has some faint streaking on its back and wings whereas the red phalarope has a plain grey back and a more conspicuous wing-stripe in flight. The red-necked is a bit smaller and has a thinner, more needle-like bill.
Intriguing Info
Some red-necked phalaropes make one of the longest migrations in the world: a population that breeds in Scotland migrates southwest to winter in the south Pacific with birds that breed in North America.
Breeding male red-necked phalaropes are not as brightly coloured as females because they take on the role of incubation and, as ground-nesters, need to be less conspicuous.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/3959-Phalaropus-lobatus
The red-necked phalarope is a small, elegant shorebird. It is sparrow-sized and has a thin, delicate-looking bill. It gets its name from a chestnut red neck patch that is only present in breeding adults. This patch is fairly distinctive on breeding females and somewhat duller on breeding males. The head of breeding adults is mostly dark; some of this dark patch disappears in winter plumage, leaving a dark cap and eye patch. Breeding adults have a dark back with buff stripes, while winter adults have a blue-grey back. Both plumages have light undersides and a bold white wing stripe.
Habitat & Range
This species is found along the Central Coast during its migration northward from late March to May, and southward from late June to early September. During migration spends time on open ocean, on beaches and flats, and along rivers and lakes. It breeds in the Arctic and subarctic tundra of North America and winters at sea in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also found in Europe and Asia. More distribution and migration information is available in the BC Conservation Data Centre Species Summary.
Find more information at the British Columbia Breeding Bird Atlas here.
Similar Species
The other phalarope species found on the Central Coast is the red phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius). Breeding adults of this species are mostly chestnut red. Winter adult plumage is very similar to that of the red-necked phalarope, except the red-necked has some faint streaking on its back and wings whereas the red phalarope has a plain grey back and a more conspicuous wing-stripe in flight. The red-necked is a bit smaller and has a thinner, more needle-like bill.
Intriguing Info
Some red-necked phalaropes make one of the longest migrations in the world: a population that breeds in Scotland migrates southwest to winter in the south Pacific with birds that breed in North America.
Breeding male red-necked phalaropes are not as brightly coloured as females because they take on the role of incubation and, as ground-nesters, need to be less conspicuous.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/3959-Phalaropus-lobatus
References
Dunn, J. L. and Alderfer, J. (Eds.). (2011). National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America. (6th Ed.). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. Pp. 206-207.
Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus). ARKive.org. Accessed 29/04/2014.
Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus. Audubon Birds. National Audubon Society. Accessed 29/04/2014.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2014).
Dunn, J. L. and Alderfer, J. (Eds.). (2011). National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America. (6th Ed.). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. Pp. 206-207.
Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus). ARKive.org. Accessed 29/04/2014.
Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus. Audubon Birds. National Audubon Society. Accessed 29/04/2014.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2014).