A phalarope is any of three living species of slender-necked shorebirds in the genus Phalaropus of the bird family Scolopacidae.
Phalaropes are close relatives of the shanks and tattlers, the Actitis and Terek sandpipers, and also of the turnstones and calidrids. They are especially notable for their unusual nesting behavior and their unique feeding technique.
Two species, the red or grey phalarope (P. fulicarius) and the red-necked phalarope (P. lobatus) breed around the Arctic Circle and winter on tropical oceans. Wilson's phalarope (P. tricolor) breeds in western North America and migrates to South America. All are 15–25 cm (6–10 in) in length, with lobed toes and a straight, slender bill. Predominantly grey and white in winter, their plumage develops reddish markings in summer.
Taxonomy
The genus Phalaropus was introduced by French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 with the red phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) as the type species. The English and genus names come through French phalarope and scientific Latin Phalaropus from Ancient Greek φαλαρίς (phalarís), meaning "coot", and πούς (poús), meaning "foot". Coots and phalaropes both have lobed toes.
The genus contains three species:
Genus Phalaropus – Brisson, 1760 – three species
Common name
Scientific name and subspecies
Range
Size and ecology
IUCN status and estimated population
Wilson's phalarope Breeding plumage
Non-Breeding plumage
Phalaropus tricolor (Vieillot, 1819)
North America in western Canada and the western United States.
Size: 22–24 cm (8.7–9.4 in) long, 39–43 cm (15–17 in) wingspan
Habitat:
Diet:
LC
1,500,000
Red-necked phalarope Breeding plumage
Non-Breeding plumage
Phalaropus lobatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Arctic regions of North America and Eurasia.
Size: 18–19 cm...
