Red-necked phalarope

The red-necked phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) is one of the rarest birds to be seen in the British Isles, but it has a number of features that make it particularly interesting to bird enthusiasts.

It is a migratory species, wintering in the Tropics but breeding in the far north, notably the northern coasts of Canada, Alaska, Scandinavia and Russia. In Great Britain it is only seen in the Shetland and Western Isles, and in passage on the Norfolk coast in August and September. Its breeding numbers in Britain are extremely small, even in the places mentioned.

Appearance

It is a small wading bird at around 18 centimetres (7 inches) in length. It is daintily built, with a long, needle-sharp bill. Its slate-grey legs have lobed feet (hence the bird’s Latin name), which means that, although they are not fully webbed, they give the bird extra impetus for swimming in water. At the same time, the red-necked phalarope is also agile on land, unlike many other wading species.

In winter the red-necked phalarope is a grey-coloured bird, darker above than below, and with black markings on the crown of the head and behind the eyes. However, the summer plumage is very different, being slatey-grey on the head and upper back, with brown lower down and on the wings, streaked with gold, a white underside and throat, and the red neck and chest that gives the bird its name.

One of the peculiarities of the red-necked phalarope is that it is the females whose colouring is more dramatic than that of the males, especially in terms of the redness of the neck. The females display a bright red flash in contrast to the dullness of the males.

The colour reversal is matched by a role reversal, in that it is the females who do the courting, and the males who incubate the eggs.

Breeding

Red-necked phalaropes will arrive at their breeding grounds, which are freshwater ponds near the coast, in May, and the females will chase the males to persuade them to mate. The female will choose the nest site, normally in a tussock of grass not far from the water, the nest comprising a hollow lined with dry grass, leaves and small twigs, hidden as carefully as possible.

The clutch normally comprises four eggs, which the female abandons once they have been laid. She plays no further part in raising the young, and may even try to seduce another male bird and lay a second clutch elsewhere. She will leave the breeding grounds as soon as she has finished laying, and will set off on migration before the males.

The male red-necked phalarope is therefore left to incubate the eggs on his own, this taking about 20-21 days. He may have to leave the nest untended while he takes time to feed, which is why it needs to be well hidden.

The male bird will also look after the chicks when they hatch. They tend to stay near the nest for the first few days, concealed in the tussocky grass, and only venturing on to the water after a week or so.

Behaviour

Red-necked phalaropes feed on insects, larvae, molluscs and crustaceans. They spend much of their lives on the open sea, particularly concentrated at places where ocean currents bring food supplies to the surface. In shallow water, they have been known to swim in tight circles to create a vortex that will disturb food from the mud at the bottom and bring it within reach.

Conservation

The rarity of red-necked phalaropes in the British Isles (there may be as few as 30 nesting males in a season) puts the bird firmly on the red list of vulnerable species. Access to the breeding areas, which are in any case in very remote spots, is closely controlled.

© John Welford