Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)


Group	Sandpipers
Code	ABNNF20010
Order	Charadriiformes
Family	Scolopacidae
Author	(Vieillot, 1819)
Rank	G5 (definitions)
Occurrence	LM (definitions)
Scale	C (definitions)

County List:


Western UP	none
Eastern UP	none
Northern LP	none
Southern LP	none

Rule:

Nonforested Landscapes

Breeding Habitat:
      (Lake or Pond or Sewage Lagoons & Farm Ponds)
   adjacent to:
      Any Emergent Wetland 

Migration Habitat:
      Lake 
      or Pond 
      or Sewage Lagoons & Farm Ponds
      or Shorelines/Mudflats

view decision rule term definitions

Habitat List:

Habitats	Regen	Sap	Pole	Sm Saw	Lg Saw	Uneven
Aspen	no	no	no	no	no	-
Paper Birch	no	no	no	no	no	-
Oak	no	no	no	no	no	no
Assorted Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Northern Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Spruce/Fir	no	no	no	no	no	no
Hemlock	no	no	no	no	no	no
Jack Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Red Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
White Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Conifer Plantations	no	no	no	no	no	-
Mixed Upland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Northern Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Upland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Pine	no	no	no	no	no	no
Swamp Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Balsam Poplar & Swamp Aspen & Swamp Birch	no	no	no	no	no	no
Bottomland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Tamarack	no	no	no	no	no	no
Northern White Cedar	no	no	no	no	no	no
Black Spruce	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Lowland Hardwoods	no	no	no	no	no	no
Mixed Lowland Conifer	no	no	no	no	no	no
Non-Forested	Lake, Pond, Sewage Lagoons & Farm Ponds, Marsh 1, Marsh 2 (MARSH), Shorelines & Mudflats
Special Features	Riparian

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Literature:

Adams, R. J. Jr. 1991. Wilson's Phalarope. Pages 538-539 In: R. Brewer, G. A. McPeek, and R. J. Adams, Jr. (eds.) The atlas of breeding birds of Michigan. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing. 594 pp.

In migration, this phalarope can be seen in the water in flooded fields, ponds, and small lakes, feeding in the characteristic circular motion with other phalaropes or along the shore and on mudflats in proximity with other sandpipers. Sewage treatment ponds attract Wilson's Phalaropes both in migration and during the breeding season. Nests are hidden in the grass in lined cups in the vicinity of marshes and shallow ponds bordered by low herbaceous vegetation.

Kaufman, K. 1996. Lives of North American Birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 675 pp.

Habitat: Shallow prairie lakes, fresh marshes, mudflats; in migration, also salt marshes. Nests mostly at shallow freshwater marshes in open country. In migration, may stop at ponds, coastal marshes, sewage treatment plants, but biggest concentrations are at salty or alkaline lakes. Winters mostly on salty lakes in South America.

Diet: Mostly aquatic insects and crustaceans. Eats a variety of flies and their larvae, beetles, true bugs, and other insects, mainly aquatic species. Also eats shrimp, copepods, seeds of marsh plants. During autumn and winter on salty lakes, may feed mostly on brine shrimp and brine flies.

Nest: Site is usually on ground near water, sometimes a couple of inches above ground in marsh plants. Typical nest is shallow depression with slight lining of grass.