Species
Red-necked phalarope
Phalaropus lobatus
A small, spinning sandpiper that spends most of its life at sea, blown into Georgia's waters in migration.
Photo Charles J. Sharp (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- About 18 to 19 cm long
- Weight
- About 30 to 40 g
- Habitat
- Open ocean on migration and in winter; occasionally inland ponds
- Diet
- Plankton, small crustaceans and insects
- In Georgia
- An uncommon migrant, mostly offshore; occasionally inland after storms
- Voice
- A sharp "kit"
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Small; needle-thin bill; in autumn grey above with white stripes on the back and a black patch through the eye
- Told apart from
- Wilson's phalarope, which is larger with a longer bill
- Told apart from
- Sanderling, which runs along beaches rather than swimming
- Where to look
- Offshore; occasionally on inland ponds after storms
Behaviour
Red-necked phalaropes spin on the water to bring food to the surface. They spend winters at sea in places where currents gather plankton.
Why they matter
These tiny birds spend most of their lives on the ocean, feeding where currents concentrate food. Their use of the open sea makes them a sign of changes in ocean productivity.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Nest — A scrape on tundra near water
Eggs — Usually four
Incubation — About 18 to 21 days, by the male
Chicks — Leave the nest within a day, cared for by the male
Flight — At about 18 to 20 days
Lifespan — Several years
Living around people
- A phalarope on an inland pond after a storm is resting and feeding; it needs only to be left alone unless it cannot fly.
Misconceptions
- A sandpiper swimming on the water is in trouble. Phalaropes swim as their normal way of feeding.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | At sea | At sea | At sea | Migrating north | Migrants passing offshore | Nesting in the Arctic | Nesting | Migrants moving south | Migrants offshore | Migrants | At sea | At sea |
Where it lives
Recorded in 35 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
- Alaskabreeding
- Arizonapassing through
- Californiapassing through
- Coloradopassing through
- Georgiapassing through
- Idahopassing through
- Mainepassing through
- Minnesotapassing through
- Montanapassing through
- Nebraskapassing through
- Nevadapassing through
- New Mexicopassing through
- North Carolinapassing through
- North Dakotapassing through
- Oregonpassing through
- South Dakotapassing through
- Utahpassing through
- Washingtonpassing through
- Wyomingpassing through
Canada
If you found one
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