Red-necked Phalarope

The Red-necked Phalarope is a diminutive shorebird that breeds on Arctic and subarctic tundra pools and then spends the majority of the year far offshore on open ocean, an unusual lifestyle among wading birds. Like other phalaropes, it displays reversed sexual dichromatism, with females showing brighter breeding colors than males, and it is often seen spinning on the water to feed.

Breeding-plumage feathers show dark slate-gray to blackish upperparts streaked with buff or golden lines on the back and scapulars, contrasting with a bold reddish-chestnut patch on the sides of the neck, brighter and more extensive in females than males. A distinct white wing stripe crosses the dark flight feathers, visible in flight and distinguishing it from Wilson's Phalarope, which lacks a wing stripe. Underparts feathers are white with gray wash on the breast sides. The bill is thin and needle-like but shorter than in Wilson's Phalarope. Nonbreeding feathers are pale gray above with a dark cap and eye patch, white below.

Reversed sexual dichromatism applies here as in other phalaropes: breeding females show more vivid chestnut neck coloring and cleaner slate-gray upperparts, while males are duller and more mottled brown, matching their greater parental investment. Juveniles show blackish upperparts with strong buff-golden streaking, appearing darker overall than adults in nonbreeding plumage. A complete molt to plain gray-and-white nonbreeding plumage typically occurs at sea after migration, with flight feathers often replaced during a flightless or near-flightless period on the water.

Breeds around shallow tundra pools, marshy edges of lakes, and wet sedge meadows across the high Arctic and subarctic of North America, Europe, and Asia. Remarkably, it spends the nonbreeding season almost entirely on open ocean, often over areas of upwelling where planktonic prey concentrates, with major wintering areas in tropical and subtropical waters such as the Arabian Sea and eastern Pacific. Migration routes can include long overland and offshore movements.

This species forages by spinning on the water surface, a technique shared with other phalaropes, to bring small invertebrates and zooplankton within reach of its needle-thin bill; at sea it often feeds along current lines and areas of upwelling. As with other phalaropes, males perform most incubation and chick-rearing at the tundra nest, a shallow scrape in wet vegetation, while females may depart early or even pursue additional mates. The call is a short, sharp kit note. Conservation status is IUCN Least Concern globally, though some regional populations have shown notable declines.