Species

Wilson's phalarope

Phalaropus tricolor

A slender sandpiper that spins on the water to stir up food, and whose females are the brighter sex.

Photo John Krampl (opens in a new tab) / iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Parenting

At a glance

Size: About 22 to 24 cm long
Weight: About 30 to 120 g
Habitat: Shallow ponds and impoundments on migration
Diet: Aquatic insects and small crustaceans
In Georgia: A rare to uncommon migrant, mostly in late summer
Voice: A soft, nasal grunt
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Needle-thin black bill; in spring, females pale grey with a black-and-cinnamon stripe down the neck; in autumn plain grey and white
Told apart from: Lesser yellowlegs, which has yellow legs and a thicker bill
Told apart from: Red-necked phalarope, which is smaller and found mostly at sea
Where to look: Coastal impoundments and shallow ponds, July to September

Behaviour

Phalaropes spin in tight circles on the water, creating a small whirlpool that draws prey up to the surface. Females are larger and more colourful than males and compete for mates, while males incubate the eggs and raise the chicks.

Why they matter

Wilson's phalaropes stage in enormous numbers on salt lakes in the West before migrating to South America, and their spinning feeding style is found in only a few birds. The occasional birds in Georgia show how widely their migration can spread.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A grass-lined scrape near water
Eggs — Usually four
Incubation — About 18 to 27 days, by the male
Chicks — Leave the nest within a day, cared for by the male
Flight — At about three weeks
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Shallow impoundments with abundant insects are important stopovers.

Misconceptions

The brightly coloured bird is always the male. In phalaropes the female is brighter.

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.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	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	In South America	In South America	In South America	Migrating north	Nesting on western and prairie wetlands	Nesting	Moving to salt lakes	A few reach Georgia	A few pass through	In South America	In South America	In South America

Where it lives

Recorded in 72 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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