Red-necked Phalarope

1/1600s at f8.0, ISO:640, Canon Mark III 1Ds w/800mm x1.4 converter


The Red-necked Phalarope is a small wader. This phalarope breeds in the Arctic regions of North America and Eurasia. It is migratory, and, unusually for a wader, winters at sea on tropical oceans. The typical avian sex roles are reversed in the three phalarope species. Females are larger and more brightly colored than males. The females pursue males, compete for nesting territory, and will aggressively defend their nests and chosen mates. Once the females lay their eggs, they begin their southward migration, leaving the males to incubate the eggs and look after the young. Three to seven eggs are laid in a ground nest near a marshy area. The young mainly feed themselves and are able to fly within 20 days of birth.
Churchill, Manitoba
 
06/17/2010