Bird of the Week – Red-necked Phalarope

The most common Phalarope in Alaska is the Red-necked. 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.