Red-necked Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope has surged: up 422% on the route-weighted index since 1983.
About the Red-necked Phalarope
The Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) is a North American member of the Sandpipers & Allies (Scolopacidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the shorebirds.
- Size
- 5–26 in long (13–66 cm) — a probing shorebird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Shorelines, mudflats, beaches, flooded fields and wet meadows.
- Diet
- Invertebrates probed or picked from mud, sand and shallow water.
- Range
- Recorded on 40 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 2 states, most concentrated in the BCR 4.
- Family
- Scolopacidae · Shorebirds
Notable Red-necked Phalarope Trends
No notable trend signals for Red-necked Phalarope. See the full index history below.
Red-necked Phalarope Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Red-necked Phalarope is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.02 (95% range 0.00–0.04). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±60.3%, with 60% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.04 |
| 2026 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.04 |
| 2027 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.04 |
| 2028 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.04 |
| 2029 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.04 |
Where the Red-necked Phalarope Is Detected
BBS routes recording Red-necked Phalarope, sized by most recent count.
Red-necked Phalarope Population Trend by State
| Alaska | -30% | 1983 | 39 |
| Wisconsin | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
Red-necked Phalarope Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | +34% | 1987 | 13 |
| BCR 3 | 21× | 1996 | 4 |
| BCR 4 | -96% | 1983 | 18 |
Red-necked Phalarope Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 422% since 1983. Many shorebirds have declined steeply, reflecting pressure on the coastal and wetland stopovers they depend on.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.