Over the next few weeks, you might want to consider grabbing the binoculars and heading out to some nearby wetlands. There is much to see there this time of year, plus you have a good chance to see some Wilson’s phalaropes, which are widely distributed in North Dakota, particularly in shallow water. These small shorebirds are quite interesting and can provide some great entertainment.
Wilson’s phalaropes are smaller than a killdeer or sandpiper. The top of their head is light colored, and a dark band across the side of the head and neck. Their throat is white with a peachy-colored patch lower on the neck, and white undersides.
Unlike many other birds, it is the females that are larger and more colorful. The males are rather drab. So, guess which sex incubates the eggs?
Phalarope nests are little scrapes on the ground on the margin of the wetland often well hidden amongst the vegetation. Females, of course, will lay the eggs, but the mating system of phalaropes is rather unusual: After laying the eggs, the females are done -- they head off to find another mate! So, it is the males that are solely responsible for incubating the eggs and raising the young. That is why male phalarope are not showy.
Phalaropes can often be observed swimming around on shallow water and spinning in circles while bobbing their heads up and down in the water feeding on aquatic invertebrates. Watching them brings up thoughts of a runaway avian sewing machine. This behavior produces small whirlpools which helps make for an easier meal.
So, who was the Wilson that Wilson’s phalaropes are named for? If you search “Father of American ornithology” on Google, you won’t find all kinds of information on John James Audubon, but information about a Scottish-American ornithologist Alexander Wilson (1766-1813) who spent much of his life in Philadelphia.
Wilson published his nine-volume American Ornithology in 1814, preceding Audubon’s Birds of America by about 30 years. But, of course, Audubon has become famous, particularly for his paintings, and Wilson is largely unknown.
