The Red-necked Phalarope is a tiny, delicate shorebird that spends most of its life on the open ocean, spinning on the water surface to create whirlpools that draw up zooplankton. Like all phalaropes, the females are more colorful and leave the males to incubate eggs and raise chicks. Its brick-red neck in breeding plumage is the best field mark.
Habitat
Open ocean in winter; freshwater pools and tundra lakes in summer
Diet
Zooplankton, brine shrimp, and aquatic invertebrates
How common
Uncommon
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