ID Keys: In spring, chestnut undersides, dark head with white face,
and yellow bill. In fall, much plainer with gray uppersides, white
undersides, and black bill.
The Red Phalarope is the
most pelagic of the phalaropes, spending most of its time well out to sea.
They are only rarely seen from land outside of the summer breeding season in the
Arctic, with only a few strays migrating through the interior of the
continent. Like other phalaropes, they will feed by spinning on the
water's surface and plucking the small food items that surface.
Habitat
Found on low-lying tundra near the Arctic coast during the summer breeding season. In migration and in winter, usually found very far out to sea, with only a few migrating through the interior of the continent.
Diet
Summer diet is large insects and insect larvae. Also eats small mollusks, crustaceans, aquatic worms, plankton, and small fish.
Behavior
See notes above. Feeds in typical phalarope fashion.
Breeding
Non-breeder in South Dakota
Song
Sharp twik and a musical clink-clink.
Migration
Summers in the Arctic. Most winter in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in the Southern Hemisphere, with lesser numbers wintering offshore in the Northern Hemisphere.
Interactive eBird Map
Click here to access an interactive eBird map of Red Phalarope sightings
Similar Species
Red-necked Phalarope , Wilson's Phalarope
Conservation Status
Generally stable throughout its range.
Photo Information
Taken in Spitbergen, Norway, June 2006 by Helge Sørensen
