General

Red Phalarope: Medium-sized sandpiper with dark gray upperparts and rufous neck and underparts. Head has white face, black cap, and a thick, straight, yellow bill with black tip. Female is brighter with darker cap. Winter adult has mostly gray upperparts, pale crown, gray stripe through eye, white underparts mottled with gray on breast, and dark bill. Juvenile resembles male but is much duller and has eyestripe.

Range and Habitat

Red Phalarope: Breeds in Alaska and northern Canada; migrates along both coasts, very rarely in interior. Winters mainly at sea in Southern Hemisphere; irregular along the Pacific coast.

Breeding and Nesting

Red Phalarope: Three to four olive green eggs blotched with black or brown are laid in a shallow scrape on the ground lined with grass, lichens, and moss. Incubation ranges from 18 to 20 days and is carried out by the male.

Foraging and Feeding

Red Phalarope: Feeds on insects, small mollusks, crustaceans, aquatic worms, plankton, and small fish. Wades into water to forage; finds food on surface and in shallows.

Vocalization

Red Phalarope: Gives a sharp "twik" and a musical "clink-clink".

Similar Species

Red Phalarope: Red-necked Phalarope has a longer, thinner, black bill. Stilt Sandpiper has longer legs, dark streaks on breast and flanks, and lacks gray patch around the eye. Wilson's Phalarope lacks wing stripe, has a white rump and tail, and longer bill.