Bird of the Week – Red-necked Phalarope
The most common Phalarope in Alaska is the Red-necked.
Red-necked Phalarope Female
Like the Wilson’s Phalarope, the sexual roles are reversed. The female is more colorful and territorial; the male is drabber, broods the eggs and stays with the chicks.
All phalarope feeding behavior is very distinctive: the birds swim in fast, tight circles, like some kind of wind-up toy, to lift insects and other invertebrates near the surface. This bird was photographed near Chevak, on the Yukon River Delta in 2008.
For more bird photos, please visit Frozen Feather Images.
This is another lovely photo of another lovely bird, and the Great Backyard Bird Count is wrapping up now. I’ve twice seen a robin, and I think it’s too early for them.
I neglected to connect the dots. I usually think southern when I think of rednecks, not the far north. Too bad it’s not just the birds …