ODNR Division of Wildlife - A to Z Species Guide - Red-necked Phalarope

Red-necked Phalarope

Photo by Robert McKemie/Daybreak Imagery

Phalaropes depart from the avian norm; sexual role reversal is a defining feature of their behavior. Females are larger and brighter than males, and leave the incubation of eggs and what little care of the young that takes place to the males.

Listen

Red-necked Phalarope

Phalaropus lobatus

At-a-Glance

• Incubation: 17-21 days

• Clutch Size: 4 eggs

• Young Fledge: 20 days after hatching

• Typical Foods: insects, aquatic invertebrates, and seeds

Description
Both sexes of this species, particularly females, are gorgeous in breeding colors, but most of the birds that we get are in basic plumage, and care must be taken to separate the species.

Habitat and Habits
This phalarope is often found in open marshes and mudflat complexes. It is almost always swimming in shallow water, but is occasionally seen in deep, open waters of lakes, particularly in the fall. The calls of the red-necked phalarope are very different from the Wilson's; typical are hard, sharp notes suggestive of a sanderling.

Reproduction and Care of the Young
Breeding takes place in Alaska and northern Canada. Nests are hollows in the ground of marshy tundra. The male raises the young.