Red-necked phalarope

About the red-necked phalarope:

• It is a fairly small shorebird known for spinning frantically on water to stir up small invertebrates.
• 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, it 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.
• Appearance and behaviour:
  • The bird mainly feeds on small aquatic invertebrates and plankton.
  • It exhibits a typical feeding behaviour of spinning on the surface of the water.
  • This rapid circling is believed to bring the prey to its feeding range.
  • Unlike in other species, female Red-necked phalaropes are brighter than males.
  • During the breeding period, the species have chestnut-red plumage from behind the ear to the downsides of the neck.
  • Females are observed to be polyandrous, that is, mating with more than one male.
  • The males brood chicks and feed them.
• Conservation status
  • IUCN: Least concern