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The red phalarope (Phalaropus fulicaria) has a circumpolar range. It usually breeds in small colonies near coastal freshwater pools; in Canada, from western Hudson Bay to northern Ellesmere Island. Nests are cup-shaped depressions, often concealed by grasses domed over the 4 eggs (greenish buff with dark brown markings). This species winters off South America.

The Wilson's phalarope (P. tricolor), the largest species, wades and walks more frequently than the other 2, and has reduced lobes and webs on its toes. Found only in North America, it breeds mainly in the Prairies and locally in eastern Canada, often nesting with black terns. The nest, a scrape near shallow water, is lined with grass by the male. Wilson's phalaropes winter mainly in Argentina.

The red-necked phalarope (P. lobatus), the smallest phalarope, breeds in the low Arctic of the New and Old worlds. In Canada, it nests from Labrador to the southern Yukon. It migrates mainly along the coast and winters on the seas of the Southern Hemisphere.

Red-Necked Phalarope Distribution

Wilson's & Red Phalarope Distribution

Author S.D. MACDONALD

Links to Other Sites
Canadian Biodiversity Website
A great information source for all budding biologists. Learn about biodiversity theory, natural history, and conservation issues. From McGill’s Redpath Museum.

Bird Studies Canada
The website for “Bird Studies Canada,” an organization dedicated to preserving wild birds and their habitats. Offers details about species at risk and studies on current threats to avian biodiversity.