Phalaropus fulicarius

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Red Phalarope

G5Secure Found in 17 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius). © Aaron Maizlish; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Aaron Maizlish; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius). © Dorian Anderson; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Dorian Anderson; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius). © Matt Felperin; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Matt Felperin; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius). © Lawrence Rhoads; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Lawrence Rhoads; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius). © Chris Venetz | Ornis Birding Expeditions; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Chris Venetz | Ornis Birding Expeditions; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius). © Miguel Rodríguez Esteban; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.
© Miguel Rodríguez Esteban; Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius). Photo by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Public Domain (U.S. Government Work), via ECOS.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, https://www.usa.gov/government-works
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.636983
Element CodeABNNF20030
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderCharadriiformes
FamilyScolopacidae
GenusPhalaropus
Synonyms
Phalaropus fulicaria(Linnaeus, 1758)
Other Common Names
Falaropo-de-Bico-Grosso (PT) Falaropo Pico Grueso Pollito de Mar Rojizo (ES) Phalarope à bec large (FR)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 2002. Forty-third supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. The Auk 119(3):897-906.
Taxonomic Comments
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).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-09
Change Date1996-11-26
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Range Extent Comments
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.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Nonbreeding: primarily pelagic, occurring in migration on bays and estuaries, rarely on ponds, lakes and marshes; mainly in plankton-rich upwelling zones. May be driven to coast or inland by strong winds. In northern Alaska, postbreeding habitat was mainly gravel coastal beaches (Smith and Connors 1993). Nests on coastal tundra; hummocky moss-sedge tundra interspersed with numerous ponds; wet unpatterned tundra with strangmoor ridges for nesting. Nests on the ground in a depression that is sometimes lined with grasses or other plants. Nest may be hidden by grass that is pulled over the depression.

Ecology

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

Reproduction

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.
Terrestrial Habitats
Tundra
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5B
ProvinceRankNative
NunavutS5BYes
Nova ScotiaS2MYes
LabradorSNRMYes
British ColumbiaS4MYes
New BrunswickS3MYes
Yukon TerritoryS1BYes
Northwest TerritoriesS5Yes
OntarioS2MYes
Island of NewfoundlandSNRMYes
QuebecS4MYes
United StatesN5B
ProvinceRankNative
TexasSNAYes
MaineS3NYes
South CarolinaSNAYes
North CarolinaS2NYes
DelawareSNAYes
AlaskaS4B,S5MYes
MassachusettsS4NYes
IndianaSNAYes
District of ColumbiaS1NYes
CaliforniaSNRNYes
MarylandSNAYes
OregonSNAYes
OhioSNAYes
ColoradoSNAYes
Rhode IslandSNAYes
GeorgiaSNRNYes
MichiganSNRNYes
AlabamaS3NYes
HawaiiSNAYes
VirginiaSNAYes
New JerseyS4NYes
WashingtonS4NYes
PennsylvaniaS3MYes
ArizonaS1MYes
New YorkSNRNYes
FloridaSNRNYes
New HampshireSNAYes
ArkansasSNAYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive (71-100%)UnknownLow (long-term)
11.1 - Habitat shifting & alterationPervasive (71-100%)UnknownLow (long-term)

Roadless Areas (17)
Alaska (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bering LakeChugach National Forest965,076
Bering LakeChugach National Forest965,076
Port AlexanderTongass National Forest120,681
California (1)
AreaForestAcres
North Fork SmithSix Rivers National Forest37,898
Oregon (13)
AreaForestAcres
Maiden PeakDeschutes National Forest26,432
Maiden PeakWillamette National Forest9,627
TenmileSiuslaw National Forest10,818
TenmileSiuslaw National Forest10,818
TenmileSiuslaw National Forest10,818
Umpqua SpitSiuslaw National Forest2,090
Umpqua SpitSiuslaw National Forest2,090
Umpqua SpitSiuslaw National Forest2,090
Waldo - FujiWillamette National Forest15,273
Waldo - LakeWillamette National Forest2,993
WoahinkSiuslaw National Forest5,309
WoahinkSiuslaw National Forest5,309
WoahinkSiuslaw National Forest5,309
References (32)
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  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
  3. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 2002. Forty-third supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. The Auk 119(3):897-906.
  4. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
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  6. Dittmann, D. L., and R. M. Zink. 1991. Mitochondrial DNA variation among phalaropes and allies. Auk 108:771-779.
  7. Haney, J. C., and A. E. Stone. 1988. Littoral foraging by red phalaropes during spring in the northern Bering Sea. Condor 90:723-726.
  8. Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
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