Average lifespan
Status: wild: 60 months.
During the breeding season, the red-necked phalaropes inhabit the tundra/forest tundra areas near lakes or wetlands with marshy riparian zones that include an abundance of grasses, moss, and sedges. They have also been found in sparsely vegetated lava deserts in Iceland, coastal moorlands, on floodplains of large rivers, as well as bogs. During migration these birds will find saline lakes to use, and the winter season is spent at sea in upwelling zones and ocean slicks.
(del Hoyo et al 1996)
Terrestrial Biomes: tundra
Aquatic Biomes: lakes and ponds
The red-necked phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) is the most abundant and widely distributed species of the genus Phalaropus. It has a circumpolar distribution and is found in both boreal and tundra zones between 60 and 70 degrees latitude. These phalaropes can be found in coastal regions of the Arctic Ocean, south to the Aleutians and Northwest to Britain. In the winter, the red-necked phalarope spends most of its time on the ocean. During this non-breeding season, phalaropes can be found off central-west South America, in the Arabian Sea and from central Indonesia to western Melanesia.
(del Hoyo et al 1996) (Cameron and Harrison 1978)
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); palearctic (Native ); oriental (Native ); ethiopian (Native ); neotropical (Native ); australian (Native ); oceanic islands (Native ); arctic ocean (Native ); indian ocean (Native ); atlantic ocean (Native ); pacific ocean (Native )
Other Geographic Terms: holarctic
In freshwater environments during the breeding season, the red-necked phalarope eats aquatic insect larvae (primarily mosquitoes), as well as dipteran flies, beetles, caddisflies, ants, annelid worms, snails, as well as some seeds. When at sea during the non-breeding period, the birds will feed on zooplankton, including euphausiids and calanoid copepods as well as crustaceans, tiny fish, and even jellyfish. Red-necked phalaropes particularily like ocean slicks and areas where there is an accumulation of organisms because it usually means an abundance of food.
Birds in the Phalaropus genus forage by wading, walking, and swimming. They use their needle-like bill and slender neck to peck at the prey on the surface or below the water as well as pluck flying insects out of the air. In picking the food items out of the water, the phalarope will use the water surface tension to transport the prey from the bill to their mouth.
One of the most unique features of members of this genus of birds is the method by which they capture their food. The red-necked phalarope will stir up its food using the rapid swimming movements of its feet, all the while spinning their bodies round and round on the water at many revolutions per minute. As they turn, they make quick jabbing motions to pick up the food they have brought to the surface. Occasionally you may see the phalarope up-end (like a dabbling duck) to retrieve food beneath the water, but this is not as common.
(del Hoyo et al 1996, Campbell and Lack 1985, Cameron and Harrison 1978)
The red-necked phalarope is of little economic importance to humans. Probably the most economically significant feature of the phalarope is that it will eat the larvae of mosquitoes. As mosquitoes are a serious pest in certain locations around the world, the presence of the red-necked phalarope may have a small impact on these populations. However, because their diet is much more diverse than just mosquitoes, and they spend only a short time on wetlands and lakes in close proximity to people, they have little impact.
The red-necked phalarope is not globally threatened. The total breeding populations of Eurasia and the Nearctic exceed one million birds. The numbers in the Bay of Fundy are decreasing, but the cause is unknown and it has yet to affect their status overall.
(del Hoyo et al 1996)
US Migratory Bird Act: protected
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
The red-necked phalarope was formerly known as the Northern phalarope.
Phalaropes have short webs between the bases of their front toes (semi-palmated) and all four toes are expanded and have a fringe of scales, much like the lobed feet of a coot. In fact, the name 'phalarope' comes from the Greek phalaris, meaning coot, and pous, meaning foot, hence "coot foot".
Red-necked phalaropes are the only true oceanic shorebirds. Phalaropus lobatus form close-knit flocks that congregate at sea, chiefly in coastal or off-shore waters, and quickly lose their nuptial plumage. Due to the fact that they spend much of the year on the ocean, they have salt glands and a dense layer of down that provides a raft of trapped air. This provides waterproofing, and also allows them to float high (cork-like) on the water. However, this additional buoyancy makes submerging difficult, so these birds do not dive. The phalarope is also able to rest and sleep while they are in this floating position. Because the phalarope is so light, these birds are at risk of being caught in gales while water-borne, so they tend to be driven leeward.
The male alone broods and tends the chicks because their development depends on the typically female hormone prolactin, of which the male secretes more than the female. In addition, the bright plumage of the females is regulated by the hormone testosterone, which is normally a male hormone.
Graul et al (1977) formulated a reason for the evolution of polyandry in the red-necked phalaropes. They believe that because the food resources are often sparse, and the breeding season is so short, the female will not have enough energy to both produce and incubate the eggs. Because the male can independently incubate and hatch the eggs, the female will likely survive, and the population will remain viable. Graul also states that in a spring where food resources are abundant, the female is able to produce two batches of eggs and recruit two males to incubate them, thereby increasing her reproductive success.
(del Hoyo et al 1996, Campbell and Lack 1985, Terres 1980, Cameron and Harrison 1978, Graul et al. 1977)
This species of phalarope is the smallest of the genus Phalaropus, with a length of 18-19 cm, and a wingspan of 31-34 cm. The red-necked phalarope exhibits reverse sexual dimorphism, meaning the females are more brightly colored in their breeding plumage than the males. The female has a grey head, neck, and sides of the breast, with a chestnut colored collar and a white throat; the wings are buff colored, there is a small white band above the eye, and the stomach is completely white. The males are much duller in color as they have a brown head, neck, and upperparts. The non-breeding plumage of the phalarope includes dull grey upperparts, and the head is mainly white with a black patch through and behind the eye. The juveniles have brown head, neck, upperparts and eyepatches. Their breast appears to be "washed" buff color, and the rest of the underparts are white.
(del Hoyo et al 1996)
Range mass: 20 to 48 g.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
In general, the red-necked phalarope employs a monogamous mating system. However, when males are in excess, the female will mate with many males (polyandrous mating system). The P. lobatus females will arrive at the Artic breeding grounds in May to mid-June before the males and will compete among themselves and display in small parties. The females will often seek and defend a male mate. Once they have copulated, both will build one or more nests, and the female will lay the eggs. Their nest consists of a scrape on the ground that is lined with stems and leaves, often in close proximity to water.
The female will lay 4 (occasionally 3) eggs at intervals of 24-30 hours. If the relationship is monogamous the eggs are singly brooded, but if the mating system is polyandrous, the eggs are double-brooded. The male incubates the eggs himself, starting with the fourth egg laid, and tends to the chicks once hatched. Just before his incubation begins, the male will molt the feathers from his abdomen to produce two brood patches. These patches will become engorged with blood, and act to keep the eggs warm while he sits on them.
Once the chicks hatch, the females will leave for their winter breeding grounds, which is as early as the end of June. The males will remain for another two weeks, after which they too will leave. The chicks fledge at 18-21 days and will start their migration in August. The 1 year old chick will breed in its first season, and can live up to 5 years.
(del Hoyo et al 1996, Terres 1980)
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; oviparous
Regular passage visitor.
A medium-sized (7-8 inches) wader, the male Red-necked Phalarope in summer is most easily identified by its gray back, pale breast, dark gray crown, and white chin with patchy rust-colored throat patch. Unusually for birds, the female Red Phalarope is somewhat more brightly colored than the male, having a solid black head, gray flanks, and a rusty throat. Winter birds of both sexes are dark gray above and white below with a black crown and conspicuous black eye-stripes. This species is unmistakable in summer; in winter, it may be separated from the related Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) and Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor) by its darker body and wings. The Red-necked Phalarope breeds along arctic and sub-arctic coastlines across North America and Eurasia. In winter, this species is found far offshore, mostly in tropical waters in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. Small numbers spend the winter in waters off the coast of Florida and California, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Salton Sea. Red-necked Phalaropes breed in marshy portions of coastal and inland tundra. In winter, this species is exclusively marine, being found in deep water far from shore. This species primarily eats insects during the breeding season, switching to an entirely plankton-based diet during the winter. Due to this species’ remote breeding and wintering grounds, Red-necked Phalaropes are seen by relatively few birdwatchers. In summer, this species may be seen walking in shallow water while picking food off of vegetation or the surface of the water. In winter, Red-necked Phalaropes may be seen in large flocks, swimming gull-like while picking plankton off the water’s surface. This species has been known to wait for large baleen whales to locate plankton before helping themselves to leftovers. Red-necked Phalaropes are primarily active during the day.
A medium-sized (7-8 inches) wader, the male Red-necked Phalarope in summer is most easily identified by its gray back, pale breast, dark gray crown, and white chin with patchy rust-colored throat patch. Unusually for birds, the female Red Phalarope is somewhat more brightly colored than the male, having a solid black head, gray flanks, and a rusty throat. Winter birds of both sexes are dark gray above and white below with a black crown and conspicuous black eye-stripes. This species is unmistakable in summer; in winter, it may be separated from the related Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) and Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor) by its darker body and wings. The Red-necked Phalarope breeds along arctic and sub-arctic coastlines across North America and Eurasia. In winter, this species is found far offshore, mostly in tropical waters in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. Small numbers spend the winter in waters off the coast of Florida and California, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Salton Sea. Red-necked Phalaropes breed in marshy portions of coastal and inland tundra. In winter, this species is exclusively marine, being found in deep water far from shore. This species primarily eats insects during the breeding season, switching to an entirely plankton-based diet during the winter. Due to this species’ remote breeding and wintering grounds, Red-necked Phalaropes are seen by relatively few birdwatchers. In summer, this species may be seen walking in shallow water while picking food off of vegetation or the surface of the water. In winter, Red-necked Phalaropes may be seen in large flocks, swimming gull-like while picking plankton off the water’s surface. This species has been known to wait for large baleen whales to locate plankton before helping themselves to leftovers. Red-necked Phalaropes are primarily active during the day.
The red-necked phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus), also known as the northern phalarope and hyperborean phalarope,[2] is a small wader. This phalarope breeds in the Arctic regions of North America and Eurasia. It is migratory, and, unusually for a wader, winters at sea on tropical oceans.
In 1743 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of the red-necked phalarope in the first volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds. He used the English name "The coot-footed tringa". Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a specimen that had been collected off the coast of Maryland.[3] When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition, he placed the red-necked phalarope with the phalaropes and sandpipers in the genus Tringa. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Tringa lobata and cited Edwards' work.[4] The red-necked phalarope is now placed in the genus Phalaropus that was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760.[5][6] The English and genus names come through French phalarope and scientific Latin Phalaropus from Ancient Greek phalaris, "coot", and pous, "foot". Coots and phalaropes both have lobed toes. The specific lobatus is Neo-Latin for "lobed".[7][8] The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.[6]
The red-necked phalarope is about 18 cm (7.1 in) in length, with lobed toes and a straight, fine bill. The breeding female is predominantly dark grey above, with a chestnut neck and upper breast, black face and white throat. They have a white wing stripe which helps distinguish this bird from the similar Wilson's phalarope. The breeding male is a duller version of the female. They have lobed toes to assist with their swimming. Young birds are grey and brown above, with buff underparts and a black patch through the eye. In winter, the plumage is essentially grey above and white below, but the black eyepatch is always present. They have a sharp call described as a whit or twit.
In the three phalarope species, females are larger and more brightly coloured than males. The females pursue and fight over males, and will defend their mate from other females until the clutch is complete and the male begins incubation. The males perform all incubation and chick-rearing activities, while the females may attempt to find another mate. If a male loses his eggs to predation, he may re-pair with his original mate or a new female to try again. Once it becomes too late in the breeding season to start new nests, females begin their southward migration, leaving the males to incubate the eggs and look after the young.
The nest is a grass-lined depression at the top of a small mound. Clutch size is usually four splotchy olive-buff eggs, but can be fewer. Incubation is about 20 days.[9] The young mainly feed themselves and are able to fly within 20 days of hatching.
When feeding, a red-necked phalarope will often swim in a small, rapid circle, forming a small whirlpool. This behaviour is thought to aid feeding by raising food from the bottom of shallow water. The bird will reach into the centre of the vortex with its bill, plucking small insects or crustaceans caught up therein. On the open ocean, they are often found where converging currents produce upwellings. During migration, some flocks stop over on the open waters at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy to take advantage of food stirred up by tidal action.
Almost all of the nonbreeding season is spent in open water. As this species rarely comes into contact with humans, it can be unusually tame.
The red-necked phalarope is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
The red-necked phalarope is a rare and localised breeding species in Ireland and Britain, which lie on the extreme edge of its world range. The most reliable place for them is Shetland, particularly the Loch of Funzie on Fetlar, with a few birds breeding elsewhere in Scotland in the Outer Hebrides (e.g. at Loch na Muilne, where a "phalarope watchpoint" has been set up) and sometimes the Scottish Mainland in Ross-shire or Sutherland. They have also bred in western Ireland since about 1900, where the population reached a peak of about 50 pairs. There have been very few breeding records in Ireland since the 1970s, but breeding was reported from County Mayo in 2015, involving a male and three females.
The tracking of a tagged bird from Fetlar unexpectedly revealed that it wintered with a North American population in the tropical Pacific Ocean; it took a 16,000 mi (26,000 km) round trip across the Atlantic via Iceland and Greenland, then south down the Eastern seaboard of America, across the Caribbean and Mexico, before ending up off the coast of Ecuador and Peru. For this reason, it is suspected that the Shetland population could be an offshoot of a North American population rather than the geographically closer Scandinavian population that is believed to winter in the Arabian Sea.[11]
The red-necked phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus), also known as the northern phalarope and hyperborean phalarope, is a small wader. This phalarope breeds in the Arctic regions of North America and Eurasia. It is migratory, and, unusually for a wader, winters at sea on tropical oceans.
