Photo by Brian E. Small. The species winters in South America. Although we didn’t see him spinning, I know that many people did. This shorebird is limited to muddy flats, marshy ponds, and wet meadows. These active birds pick small bits of food from the water's surface. I checked all of the letter ponds and also pond 1 and 2 and found no phalaropes. In shallow water, this spinning or 'pirouetting" is thought to stir up food lodged on the bottom. One of about 75 phalaropes (Wilson's plus a few Red-necked) spin-feeding on brine flies near the edge of one of the ponds. There are three species of phalaropes: in additional to Wilson’s, are the Red-necked and the Red phalaropes. They will often swim in tight circles, spinning quickly enough to corral prey items and even creating a vortex that sucks prey off the bottom. Range. They feed by spinning circles in the rich brine, stirring whirlpools of brine flies and other nutrients. Wilson's Phalaropes winter on large, shallow ponds and saline lakes in southern South America. Prairie potholes, marshes, lakes, mudflats. Spinning was rarely performed by birds in small flocks, and The plumage on their under-parts is dense and provides buoyancy. Other techniques include chasing and pecking prey from the surface of mud or water, standing still and stabbing at passing flies, and probing inside mud. Wilson’s Phalaropes breed in the north, just not as far north as many shorebirds. Also like the other phalaropes, sex roles are somewhat reversed. This one was at the Nature Conservancy's Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve in Kansas, where we're heading for a few days starting tomorrow. By telling vivid, sound-rich stories about birds and the challenges they face, BirdNote inspires listeners to care about … Wilson’s Phalarope, breeding adult female. Spinning Wilson’s Phalaropes always put a smile on my face; there’s just something amusing about seeing a tiny bird spinning around and around in circles plucking tiny things from the surface of the water. Note the concentric circles in the water around the phalarope. Patterns of movement of individual Wilson's Phalaropes in flocks. 0 phalaropes were spinning at the San Joaquin marsh this morning. This behavior was usually seen in large, tightly packed flocks (40-700, X = 280). Additionally, unlike other shorebirds, Wilson's phalaropes often feed while floating on the water, sometimes spinning like tops to stir up aquatic invertebrates. A shorebird that’s at home on the open ocean, the Red-necked Phalarope is a tiny grayish bird with a needle-thin bill. Shorebirds like Wilson’s phalarope are known for concentrating in large groups during migration. I checked all of the letter ponds and also pond 1 and 2 and found no phalaropes. Posts about Wilson’s Phalarope written by David M. This is my day 24 contribution to Becky’s July Squares on the theme of Perspective and another of my eye level perspective series.. Phalaropes are sandpipers that forage on the water’s surface while swimming, often spinning in one spot. So I'll be off of Flickr until Friday. Phalaropes are small swimming Charadrii with compressed tarsi and the toes are lobed or scalloped. Back to top. Spinning like tops, they create an upwelling, pulling food to the surface. The Wilson’s Phalarope nests only in North America, while the other two species nest circumpolar. Robin-sized shorebird with a distinctive spinning while swimming habit. On the Great Salt Lake, phalaropes feed primarily on the abundant brine shrimp and brine flies. Birds connect us with the joy and wonder of nature. If you haven't seen Phalaropes feeding before, it's a real treat. Read our COVID-19 research and news. A, flocks of less than 20; B, flocks of 20 to 60; C, flocks of more than 60. The flock was quite tame, some birds unconcernedly darting & spinning within 10 o… Wilson’s Phalaropes forage by swimming, often spinning rapidly in a circle to stir up prey. Note female's apparent reluctance to interact with two males. The Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor) is named after the early American ornithologist Alexander Wilson (1766-1813). It is regularly observed during migration when large numbers are sometimes seem spinning circles on ponds as lakes as they forage for tiny aquatic prey. They feed by picking food from the surface of the water. When swimming, they spin in tight circles and create upwellings of food, although Wilson's Phalaropes do this less than the other two phalaropes. Small, localized populations are found in the Great Lakes region and at other scattered sites in the United States. Behavior. Phalaropes are active birds. The breeding of Wilson's Phalaropes is anomalous, too. Wilson’s Phalaropes breed in western Canada and the northern U.S. If any bird is an anomaly, it's the Wilson's Phalarope. Wilson's Phalarope (Scolopacidae: Phalaropus tricolor) Feeding Carl Barrentine : About Uploaded on May 13, 2010. May in Cochise Co., Arizona. July 1975] Wilson's Phalarope Behavior and Molt 445 Fig. By Erica Tennenhouse Nov. 12, 2020 , 10:50 AM Rare shorebirds called phalaropes practice an unusual water dance to … Wilson's phalaropes can be distinguished from most other shorebirds by the bright coloration on their neck and head. The Wilson’s Phalarope usually chooses … On their Arctic breeding grounds these birds are blue-gray with a reddish wash on the neck; in winter they are a streaky gray on the back, white below, with a bold black patch across the eye. In the east, they nest around the Great Lakes. Wilson’s phalaropes though, are often decidedly un-shorebird-like in their manner of hunting. Wilson's Phalaropes mainly eat small aquatic invertebrates such as midges and shrimp. While foraging in the water, they often spin in circles to create a whirlpool that sucks up food items to the surface of the water. Better still is seeing multiple phalaropes feeding together. It has a peculiar foraging behavior of spinning like a top on the water\'s surface or running in circles on muddy banks picking with its bill at the surface for aquatic insects and crustaceans. They also will eat seeds of various aquatic plants. This is a female Wilson’s Phalarope feeding on a section of the Middle Quill Lake shoreline in Saskatchewan, Canada. Photographed at Kellys Slough NWR, North Dakota (13 May 2010). This is a large flock found in Lake County, South Dakota on April 28th, 2013. Wilson’s Phalaropes don’t care for your gender norms. Phalaropes feed generally on larvae of mosquitos, larvae of crane flies and diving beetles. Unlike most other bird species, the female in breeding plumage is much more colorful than the male. It forages by swimming, spinning in circles to bring food to the surface, or near the surface, of the water where it can pick it up with its bill. But they forage while swimming. Sewage ponds/landfill site bordering a large playa. Instead of nesting on the Arctic tundra, the birds are found in wetlands in the northwestern states and up into western Canada. Where They Live. Aug 30, 2015 - Lemmon Valley, Washoe Co, Nevada (July 28th, 2011). The Wilson's Phalarope is the largest of the phalarope species, and is usually quite tame and approachable within the state. In a birdbook, Wilson's Phalaropes are found among the sandpipers. The phalaropes are such unusual shorebirds — with their swimming and spinning habits, and with females much more brightly colored than males — that in the past, they were often considered to make up a … They also probe in mud or pick along shorelines. Identifying Wilson’s Phalarope. The Wilson’s Phalarope’s primary breeding range is restricted to the northwestern region of North America, from central British Columbia south to northern California and east through the Great Plains. 148. 2. Wilson’s Phalarope, breeding adult female. 0 phalaropes were spinning at the San Joaquin marsh this morning. Females are brighter than males. Wilson’s Phalarope breeds only in the prairie ponds of North America, but the other two species, the Red-necked Phalarope and the Red Phalarope, nest in northern ponds of Europe and Asia as well as Canada and Alaska. 23 cm (9") Common. Share This: Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Print this Article Share to Email. They are at home in deeper water, swimming with the help of lobed toes instead of walking along the waterline. I had seen two previously at Staines Reservoir, Surrey in 1997 and Vange Marsh, Essex in September 2015 . 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