Red-necked Phalarope

1. Thin, needle-like bill and rapid spinning behaviour on water

2. Non-breeding plumage: gray above, white below, black ear patch

3. Usually seen in small flocks in coastal or sheltered marine habitat

Red-necked Phalaropes are famous for their role reversal: females are more brightly coloured and compete for mates, while males incubate the eggs and raise the young. They feed primarily on tiny marine invertebrates, including zooplankton, crustaceans, and insects, using their rapid spinning (up to 6 revolutions per minute) to create a vortex that draws prey to the surface. Their lobed toes help them swim efficiently, and they use surface tension to transport small prey from bill-tip to mouth. During breeding, females may lay multiple clutches with different males, and males care for the chicks, which are able to feed themselves soon after hatching`.`

In Australia, Red-necked Phalaropes are rare visitors during the non-breeding season (Australian spring and summer). They are typically found in coastal regions, especially sheltered bays, estuaries, and occasionally on inland saline lakes. As pelagic migrants, they spend most of their lives at sea, coming ashore only to breed in the Arctic.