Species: Phalaropus fulicarius

Red Phalarope

Species

Birds

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Salish Sea-reliant birds

Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Craniata

Class

Aves

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Scolopacidae

Genus

Phalaropus

NatureServe

Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.636983

Classification

Other Global Common Names

Falaropo Pico Grueso Pollito de Mar Rojizo - Falaropo-de-Bico-Grosso - phalarope à bec large

Informal Taxonomy

Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Shorebirds

Formal Taxonomy

Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Charadriiformes - Scolopacidae - Phalaropus - In Old World literature this species is known as gray phalarope (AOU 1983). Combined allozyme, morphologic, and mtDNA data suggest that Wilson's phalarope evolved shortly after the phalarope lineage itself arose and that the phalaropes are monophyletic, with the red and red-necked phalaropes being sister taxa (Dittman and Zink 1991).

Ecology and Life History

Migration

false - false - true - Northward migration usually well offshore along both coasts of North America; arrives on nesting ground in late May or early June (mostly June in Arctic Canada) (Terres 1980), females arriving before males. Passes through east-central Pacific February-April in large numbers (Pratt et al. 1987). Females leave breeding areas in late June and July; males depart usually early July to mid-August; juveniles depart nesting areas mid-August to early September (Johnson and Herter 1989). In North America, much more numerous along Pacific coast than along Atlantic coast, especially September-December and in some years in spring (Hayman et al. 1986).

Non-migrant

false

Locally Migrant

false

Food Comments

Feeds on insects and crustaceans; also eats larval fishes and small jellyfishes. Obtains food from ocean surface, wet tundra, and marine littoral zone. In northern Bering Sea in spring, forages opportunistically in littoral zone (Haney and Stone 1988); littoral foraging also by juveniles in fall in Beaufort and Chukchi seas.

Reproduction Comments

Four eggs are laid June-July. The male incubates the eggs for 18-20 days (Terres 1980). Female usually deserts male as soon as clutch complete, may attempt to mate again. Nestlings are precocial and downy. Young are capable of first flight about 16-18 days after hatching. Usually nests in small colonies.

Ecology Comments

Nonbreeding: occurs singly, in small scattered flocks, or sometimes in flocks of >1000.

Length

Weight

Conservation Status

NatureServe Global Status Rank

Global Status Last Reviewed

1996-11-26

Global Status Last Changed

1996-11-26

Other Status

LC - Least concern

Distribution

Conservation Status Map

Global Range

H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - BREEDS: western and northern Alaska, northern Yukon, northern Mackenzie, and Banks, Melville, Ellesmere, Bylot, Dundas, and northern Baffin islands, and south to eastern Keewatin, Southhampton and Mansel islands, northern Quebec, and probably northern Labrador; in Palearctic from Greenland and Iceland through arctic islands to northern Siberia. Nonbreeders summer off coasts of California and Newfoundland. NORTHERN WINTER: primarily pelagic, ranges widely, mainly in Southern Hemisphere off both coasts of South America and western Africa, also western Pacific from Japan south; primarily in productive waters of Humboldt Current off Peru and Chile, and Benguela Current off West Africa south to the Cape of Good Hope.

Global Range Code

Global Range Description

>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.636983