Wilson's Phalarope

Phalaropus tricolor

Introduction

First recorded in Britain only around 50 miles from the birthplace of Alexander Wilson, after whom the species is named, Wilson's Phalarope remains a rare, but annual, visitor to Britain & Ireland from North America.

Key Stats

Status

Rare

Weight

60g

Seasonality

<1%

BTO Records

1.5k records

Population and distribution stats for:

No data

No current data

No current data

No data

No current data

% expansion

Status and Trends

Population size, trends and patterns of distribution based on BTO and partnership surveys and atlasses with data collected by BTO volunteers.

Conservation Status

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This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)

Least Concern

Schedule 1 Licence required (to disturb)*

Birds Directive Annex 1

* A guide only. Check details with the original legislation, especially those marked with an asterisk. See About Birdfacts for more information.

Population Size

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BOU Category

Source

First Record*

Fife, 1954

* First documented occurrence. Most species undoubtedly occurred before this. See About Birdfacts for more information.

Population Change

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Population trends of this scarce species are not routinely monitored.

Distribution

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This species is a rare vagrant and was recorded during Bird Atlas 2007–11 as shown on the map.

Occupied 10-km squares in UK

These figures come from Bird Atlas 2007 and indicate how widespread a species is.

No. occupied in winter

% occupied in winter

0.07%

Bird Atlas distribution maps show where bird species breed or winter in Britain and Ireland. For breeding maps, larger dots indicate higher certainty the species bred in that area.

Winter Distribution for Wilson's Phalarope

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

Breeding Distribution for Wilson's Phalarope

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

To view and download up-to-date distribution information aggregated from across BTO and partnership surveys and schemes, see our data holdings on the NBN Atlas.

Distribution Change

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This vagrant is too rarely reported to map distribution change.

Seasonality

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Wilson's Phalarope is a very rare vagrant, mostly recorded in autumn.

Weekly pattern of occurrence

The graph shows when the species is present in the UK, with taller bars indicating a higher likelihood of encountering the species in appropriate regions and habitats.

Phenology graph — Weekly occurrence patterns (shaded cells and reporting rates (vertical bars) based on BirdTrack data. Reporting rates give the likelihood of encountering the species each week.

Movement

Information about Wilson's Phalarope movements and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.

Britain & Ireland movement

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View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report

European movements

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EuroBirdPortal uses birdwatcher's records, such as those logged in BirdTrack to map the flows of birds as they arrive and depart Europe. See maps for this species here.

Biology

Lifecycle and body size information for Wilson's Phalarope, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.

Survival and Longevity

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Survival is shown as the proportion of birds surviving from one year to the next and is derived from bird ringing data. It can also be used to estimate how long birds typically live.

Classification, names and codes

Taxonomy, names and species codes for Wilson's Phalarope

Classification and Codes

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Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Scientific name: Phalaropus tricolor
Authority: Vieillot, 1819

BTO 2-letter code: WF
BTO 5-letter code: WILPH
Euring code number: 5630

Alternate species names

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Catalan: escuraflascons de Wilson
Czech: lyskonoh dlouhozobý
Danish: Amerikansk Svømmesneppe
Dutch: Grote Franjepoot
Estonian: suur-veetallaja
Finnish: amerikanvesipääsky
French: Phalarope de Wilson

German: Wilsonwassertreter
Hungarian: Wilson-víztaposó
Icelandic: Freyshani
Irish: Falaróp Wilson
Italian: Falaropo di Wilson
Latvian: Amerikas puslitis
Lithuanian: didysis plaukikas
Norwegian: Hvithalesvømmesnipe

Polish: platkonóg trójbarwny
Portuguese: pisa-n'água
Slovak: lyskonoh trojfarebný
Slovenian: tribarvni liskonožec
Spanish: Falaropo tricolor
Swedish: wilsonsimsnäppa
Welsh: Llydandroed Wlson

More Evidence

More evidence from Conservation Evidence.com

Partners

Birdfacts is based on data collected by volunteers participating in surveys that are organised and funded by BTO, RSPB, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, JNCC and other partners.