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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Scolopacidae
  4. ›
  5. Phalaropus
  6. ›
  7. Red-necked Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
Photo · U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

BirdUp · Species

Red-necked Phalarope

Phalaropus lobatus(Linnaeus, 1758)

Updated 21 March 2026

Origin: Native
Order
CHARADRIIFORMES
Family
Scolopacidae
Genus
Phalaropus

At a glance

The Red-necked Phalarope is a small bird, about 18–19 cm long, native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
18–19 cm
Origin
Native
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Very common
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Red-necked Phalarope look like?

The Red-necked Phalarope is a small bird, about 18–19 cm long and weighing 20–48 g.

The red-necked phalarope, also known as the northern phalarope and hyperborean 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.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
18–19 cm
Weight
20–48 g

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Red-necked Phalarope?

The Red-necked Phalarope is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Red-necked Phalarope eat?

The Red-necked Phalarope feeds on terrestrial invertebrates, intertidal invertebrates and fish/invertebrates, usually foraging in flocks.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

2 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Red-necked Phalarope live in Australia?

The Red-necked Phalarope is native to Australia, recorded across 20 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingNA, PAL : mostly low Arctic to subarctic Holarctic tundra and alpine tundra: south Greenland, Iceland, Scotland (rare), north Scandinavia, and Arctic and subarctic Russia to Kamchatka, Kuril and Commander is.; Aleutian Is., Arctic and subarctic Alaska and Canada

Non-breedingTo tropical and subtropical coastal waters and coasts: Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Bay of Bengal; seas of Indonesian Arch., off north and west New Guinea and Bismarck Arch.; and south-east North Pacific coasts of west Mexico and Central America to Peru and Galápagos

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Breeding
  • Vagrant

7 regions recorded