- Phalaropus tricolor
Steganopus tricolor
Identification
22–24 cm (8½-9½ in)
- Lobed toes
- Straight fine black bill
Breeding female
- White face
- Gray wings with chestnut bands
- Pinkish foreneck
- Black eyestripe, which continues down sides of neck
- White underparts
- Square white rump
Breeding male - duller than the female; may lack reddish patches
- Brown back
Young birds
- Gray and brown upperparts
- White underparts
- Dark patch through the eye
Non-breeding
- Gray upperparts
- White underparts
- Retains dark eye patch
Flight
Shows square white rump and trailing yellow legs .
Similar Species
Can be confused with Lesser Yellowlegs and Stilt Sandpiper in winter plumage.
Distribution
Breeds in Canada and US; winters in western and southern South America.
Regular vagrant to the British Isles, usually in the Autumn.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
It has sometimes been placed in a monotypic genus Steganopus[2].
Habitat
Prairie lakes, marshes, pools, shores, mudflats, sand bars and river bankss.
Behaviour
Breeding
The 3-4 eggs are laid in a ground nest near water. The male incubates the eggs and cares for the young. The chicks feed themselves once fledged.
The females leave the breeding grounds soon after laying the eggs.
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of small water insects. They agitate the water by swimming in small circles.
Vocalisation
Voice: a grunted aangh
Flight call: vit' or chu
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728
- Collins Field Guide 5th Edition ISBN 0 00 219900 9
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Wilson's Phalarope. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 7 February 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Wilson%27s_Phalarope
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1