Phalarope

A small shorebird in the genus Phalaropus, distinguished by lobed toes and a breeding system in which females are often more brightly colored and males incubate eggs.

Red Phalarope: A circumpolar phalarope that breeds in the Arctic and winters mainly at sea. Its marine wintering brings the genus’s swimming adaptations into sharp focus.
Sex-role reversal: A mating pattern in which females compete for mates while males provide most parental care. In phalaropes, females often court and compete while males incubate eggs.
Pelagic seabird: A seabird that spends much of its life in the open ocean. Two phalarope species spend much of the nonbreeding season far offshore.
Sandpiper: A shorebird in the large family Scolopacidae, typically adapted for probing or picking prey. Phalaropes belong to the sandpiper family but are unusually adapted for swimming.
Red-necked Phalarope: A small migratory phalarope that breeds in Arctic and subarctic regions and winters at sea. It is a widespread example of the genus’s ocean-going migration.
Polyandry: A mating system in which one female mates with multiple males. Female phalaropes may mate with successive males, each tending a clutch.
Migration: The regular seasonal movement of animals between breeding and nonbreeding areas. Phalarope migrations connect Arctic breeding grounds with distant wintering waters.
Avocet: A long-legged wading bird with an upturned bill, in the family Recurvirostridae. Avocets are aquatic shorebirds, but their feeding and foot adaptations differ from phalaropes’.
Wilson's Phalarope: A North American phalarope that breeds inland and migrates to South America. Unlike its relatives, it uses inland wetlands during migration and winter.
Egg incubation: The process of keeping eggs warm and protected until they hatch. Male phalaropes typically incubate eggs and care for the chicks.

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