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Red-necked Phalarope

Phalaropus lobatusOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)
Codes: Common Name: RNPH Scientific Name: PHALOB ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176735
Least Concern
 
Red-necked Phalarope
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Overview

Red-necked Phalarope: Medium sandpiper with brown-striped dark gray back, mottled gray breast, and white throat and belly. Head, nape, and flanks are gray. Neck and upper breast are rust-brown. Bill is thin and black. Flight is swift and swallowlike with rapid wing beats, quick movements, and turns.

Range and Habitat

Red-necked Phalarope: Breeds in the Arctic south to James Bay, the Aleutians, and the southern tip of Greenland. Spends winters off Peru, the southern Arabian Peninsula, and Indonesia. Inhabits open ocean and beaches; found on shallow rivers, lakes, and mudflats during migration.

Topo Map: Sandpiper-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"twit", "whit"

Interesting Facts

 The Red-necked Phalarope (formerly the Northern Phalarope) is the smallest of the three phalaropes and has the shortest bill.

 They have lobed toes to assist with their swimming.

 Among Phalaropes, the female has brighter plumage, and the male incubates the eggs and cares for the young.

 A group of phalaropes has many collective nouns, including a "dopping", "swirl", "twirl", "whirl", and "whirligig" of phalaropes.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Imran Kahn

Splitbar
Range Map for Red-necked Phalarope

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Family Sandpiper (Scolopacidae)_blue
Species Phalaropus lobatus
Length7.5 - 8 Inches
Wingspan14.5 Inches

Red-necked Phalarope

Red-necked Phalarope: Medium sandpiper with brown-striped dark gray back, mottled gray breast, and white throat and belly. Head, nape, and flanks are gray. Neck and upper breast are rust-brown. Bill is thin and black. Flight is swift and swallowlike with rapid wing beats, quick movements, and turns.

● Song: "twit", "whit"

● Foraging & Feeding: Red-necked Phalarope: Diet consists mainly of insects; forages by spinning quickly in shallow water to create a vortex, churning up tiny invertebrates.

● Breeding & nesting: Red-necked Phalarope: Three to four buff olive eggs spotted with brown are laid in a shallow dip on marshy tundra. Nest is lined with grass and leaves. Incubation ranges from 17 to 21 days and is carried out by the male.

● Similar species: Red-necked Phalarope: Red Phalarope is larger, darker, has a strongly striped back and blacker crown, more distinct wing stripe, and more needlelike bill; bill is yellow with a black tip in breeding season.

Flight Pattern

Swift shallow flight with rapid wing beats.
Red-necked Phalarope Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Red-necked Phalarope: Breeds in the Arctic south to James Bay, the Aleutians, and the southern tip of Greenland. Spends winters off Peru, the southern Arabian Peninsula, and Indonesia. Inhabits open ocean and beaches; found on shallow rivers, lakes, and mudflats during migration.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationAbundant
MigrationMigratory
Weight1.2 Ounces
Sandpiper-like BodyX
BellyX
The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.
BreastX
The upper front part of a bird.
NapeX
Also called the hindneck or collar, it is the back of the neck where the head joins the body.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX