Red-necked Phalarope

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Red-necked Phalarope in the UK

Red-necked Phalarope is a very scarce summer visitor at the southern edge of its range. Breeding is confined to Scotland, chiefly Shetland, with a few in the Outer and Inner Hebrides and the north-east. Published figures differ, but all put the population below 100 breeding males. Numbers stood at 15 to 30 pairs for decades, then rose strongly over the 25 years to 2019. It is Red-listed in the UK and protected under Schedule 1. Away from the breeding sites it is a scarce passage migrant. Tracking has shown that Scottish birds winter at sea as far away as the eastern Pacific.

Where and when to see a Red-necked Phalarope

RSPB Fetlar in Shetland is the place. The Loch of Funzie beside the road, and the hide over the nearby mires, give views without disturbing the birds. Go between late May and mid July. Females leave first, and males and young have gone by August. Birds feed close to the shore and can be very tame, but stay on the marked route. RSPB Loch na Muilne on Lewis has a viewing cairn. Elsewhere, check coastal lagoons and scrapes on the east coast of England in late May and June, and again in August and September.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Shetland pools (summer).
Diet: Insects, plankton.
Field note: Spins on water to stir up prey.

How to identify a Red-necked Phalarope

A tiny wader, smaller than a Dunlin, that swims like a miniature gull and spins in circles to draw prey to the surface. The bill is black and needle-fine. Breeding females are the brighter sex: slate-grey head and breast, white throat, an orange-red band down the side of the neck and golden-buff lines on the back. Males are a duller version and do all the incubation. Autumn juveniles are dark above with buff 'tramlines' and a black patch behind the eye. Winter adults are grey and white. A white wingbar shows in flight.

Call and song

The call is a short, sharp 'kip' or 'twit', often given in flight and sometimes run together into a chatter. It is a quiet bird, and most migrants are silent. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Grey Phalarope: Grey Phalarope is bulkier with a thicker bill and, in autumn and winter, a plain pale grey back; it usually appears after gales from September.
• Wilson's Phalarope: Wilson's, a vagrant, is larger and longer-legged with a white rump and no wingbar, and feeds more on mud than on water.

Related guide Bird migration in Britain.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Red-necked Phalarope is a Rare tier bird, worth +8 points when you log one. It is Red-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the highest level of concern in the UK. It is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, so it is an offence to disturb it at or near the nest. We blur the location of every sighting of this species.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Wilson's PhalaropeEpic · Pools (very rare)
• Grey PhalaropeRare · Pelagic (autumn passage)
• Black-throated DiverRare · Highland lochs (summer)
• Common Grasshopper WarblerRare · Rough grassland
• Common QuailRare · Cereal fields (summer)
• Eurasian DotterelRare · Mountain plateaux (summer)

Red-necked Phalarope: quick answers

Is the Red-necked Phalarope rare in the UK?

Yes, as a breeding bird it is among our scarcest waders and is found at only a handful of sites. Worldwide it is numerous, breeding right around the Arctic. Britain sits on the southern fringe of that range.

When is the best time to see Red-necked Phalarope?

June. Birds are back on Shetland from late May and the season is short. In this species the roles are reversed: females court the males, lay the eggs and leave, so by July most birds on view are males and young.

What does a Red-necked Phalarope eat?

Small insects and their larvae, especially midges, picked from the water surface and from waterside plants. Spinning on the spot creates a small upwelling that brings food within reach. At sea in winter it feeds on plankton.

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