Wilson's Phalarope

Phalaropus tricolor

Sandpiper Like

Length: 9 in. (24 cm )

This shorebird is limited to muddy flats, marshy ponds, and wet meadows. 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. Unlike most other bird species, the female in breeding plumage is much more colorful than the male. Also the females fight for males and have more than one mate. The nest is a small platform of grass hidden in low marshy areas. Most of the population winters in the Andes of South America and the lowlands or Argentina.

The four-digit banding code is WIPH.

Male | Oliver Niehuis

Female | Robert Shantz

Male | Robert Shantz

Marsh / swamp

Open water

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https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/wilsons-phalarope

Bibliographic details:

Article: Wilson's Phalarope
Author(s): Dr. Biology
Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
Date published: 13 Jul, 2017
Date accessed:
Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/wilsons-phalarope

APA Style

Dr. Biology. (Thu, 07/13/2017 - 15:38). Wilson's Phalarope. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/wilsons-phalarope

American Psychological Association. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/

Chicago Manual of Style

Dr. Biology. "Wilson's Phalarope". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 Jul 2017. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/wilsons-phalarope

For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/04/

MLA 2017 Style

Dr. Biology. "Wilson's Phalarope". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 Jul 2017. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/wilsons-phalarope

Modern Language Association, 7th Ed. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/

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