The grey phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) is only grey and white in its winter plumage. At breeding time it changes to become the bright Red Phalarope with stunning breeding colours – a straight yellow bill with a black tip; dark brown and black body, red underparts and neck, and white patches on the face. It breeds in the high Arctic – northern Siberia, Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Svalbard and Bear Island, and Iceland. It winters at sea - but can be seen in such diverse locations as Britain, South Africa, South America and the southern USA. But when breeding it becomes a wader, foraging in shallow waters. Unmistakably, the Grey Phalarope makes feeding whirlpool circles in a clockwise direction.
See also: Red phalarope
