The Red Phalarope is not adequately captured by large-scale surveys such as the Christmas Bird Count, Breeding Bird Survey, or Shorebird Migration Monitoring because of its remote breeding and wintering areas. The species' abundance at breeding sites varies dramatically among years (e.g., Tracy et al. 2002, Smith 2009), but some comparisons over the long-term suggest possible declines. For example, abundance at the Rasmussen Lowlands was 76% lower in 1994-1995 versus 1975-1976 (Gratto-Trevor et al. 1998). Similarly, it is considered less common in the northern Gulf of Mexico now compared to the 1960s and 1970s (Tracy et al. 2002). Currently though, there is insufficient information to determine the species' population status relative to about 1970. Future assessments of status will be improved when results from the Arctic Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (Arctic PRISM) become available. Because the species is currently considered data deficient, a national population goal for the Red Phalarope has not yet been determined.
