Red Phalarope

Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) is a compact swimming shorebird; breeding females are rich chestnut with white cheeks and dark crown. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It spins and picks tiny prey from water, breeds in the High Arctic and spends most non-breeding months at sea. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).