Wilson's Phalarope: From North American Breeder to South American Winterer

Today Birdorable welcomes another bird named after the ornithologist Alexander Wilson to Birdorable, following Wilson's Warbler and Wilson's Plover. Today Wilson's Phalarope joins our flock!

Wilson's Phalaropes are the largest of all three of the world's phalarope species (the others being the Red-necked Phalarope and the Red Phalarope), but are still relatively small as wading birds go, reaching up to 24cm in length.

Wilson's Phalaropes breed across parts of the western and northern United States and western Canada. Winters are spent down across a wide range of South America, with some birds reaching the southern tip of the continent!

Phalaropes are known for their atypical sexual dimorphism attributes and parental behavior. Females are larger than males and have a more brightly developed plumage. Females also leave most parental duty to the male birds. They are also atypical by Birdorable standards, as our illustration depicts a female.

Tomorrow another shorebird joins Birdorable, one of two species in its genus. This small shorebird with a wide global range can be found wintering along ocean shores, where it might search for food by turning over stones. Can you guess this species?