The Red-necked Phalarope breeds in wetlands of the subarctic and Low Arctic and winters at sea in tropical waters. Because of the remoteness and difficulty in accessing their breeding and wintering areas, the species' population status is difficult to monitor. Dramatic declines have been observed at a small number of sites on the breeding grounds and at migratory stopover locations. However, the majority of the population breeds, migrates, and winters outside of surveyed areas; the species is therefore considered data deficient. In 2014, the Red-necked Phalarope was designated a species of Special Concern by the Committee of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
The apparent declines observed in the Deer Island area of the Bay of Fundy may have been related to a decline in the availability of the phalaropes' preferred prey: the copepod Calanus finmarchicus (Chardine 2005). Phalaropes forage in upwelling zones, where prey are brought to the surface. Changes in the marine environment may have affected the abundance or availability of suitable prey, and may have encouraged a redistribution of staging phalaropes to other upwelling areas. Recent information shows that Red-necked Phalaropes that breed in northern Europe stage in the Bay of Fundy and other sites along the Atlantic coast before migrating to wintering sites off the coast of Peru (Smith et al. 2014). The breeding range of the Red-necked Phalarope also overlaps with that of several populations of over-abundant arctic geese. Geese can degrade tundra habitats by grazing on grasses, sedges, and their rhizomes (Alisauskas et al. 2006); this modified habitat often supports lower densities of shorebirds (e.g., Sammler et al. 2008, Hines et al. 2010). This could be another contributing factor to the possible decreases in the abundance of Red-necked Phalaropes. Climate change may be a long-term concern for the species on the breeding grounds; changes in Arctic climate could affect prey availability, timing, and abundance, and shrubification may reduce breeding sites (COSEWIC 2014a). Range-wide surveys on the breeding grounds seem to indicate a rebound in the population, however more work is needed following the species at sea to further inform conservation and management plans (Hunnewell et al. 2016).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.
