Red Phalarope

Phalaropus fulicarius (Linnaeus, 1758)

		breeding female winter plumage
2015-06-21 Yamal 2020-10-22 Irkutsk, r.Irkut Cheremushki	© Sergey Volkov © Mihail Ivanov

Description

Easily recognized as small, active waterfowl. From a distance they can only be confused with the Red-necked Phalarope, but in breeding plumage the coloring is completely different. Red Phalarope are slightly larger than Red-necked Phalarope.The spring plumage of female of Grey Phalarope is brick-red with the white mask and plain dark-brown crown, the feathers of back are dark-brown with buffy edges. The beak is flat and wide, dark-tipped yellow. The males are smaller than females, are same colored, but not so bright; have yellowish and white mottles on the flanks and belly, have the more narrow and less neat white mask, the crown is buffy mottled. The plumage coloration is very variable, especially on males. On all plumage the upperwing is with the broad white band. Winter plumage is white below, light grey above, bill is dark yellow-based or completely dark. From afar the Grey Phalarope can be distinguished from the Red-necked Phalarope by the light-grey back. The juveniles are brownish above with rusty-edged feathers, the neck and breast the heavy brownish or pinkish tinge, the bill is dark. Juveniles are very similar to the juvenile Red-necked Phalaropes, to be distinguished by the wide beak (from a distance looks like thick), the small eyespot. Weight 42-65 gr, wing 12.2-13.4, wingspan- 37-40 cm

References

В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Сибири". Москва-Екатеринбург, Изд-во "Кабинетный ученый", 2014.