FAUNA OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS AND ALASKA PENINSULA 155 



Family PHALAROPODIDAE 

 Phalaropus fulicarius: Red Phalarope 



Attu: A-chi-li-rhd-nch 



Russian, Yana River region: Plavounetz, more often Petouschok (Pleske) 



We observed flocks of red phalarope in spring migration as well 

 as later in the summer, when some of them may have been re- 

 turning from the north. On May 22, 1937, several flocks were 

 seen in Shelikof Strait, many in the red plumage, and the next 

 day, they were common all the way between Sutwik Island and 

 the Shumagins. These were chiefly in the red plumage. On Au- 

 gust 26, as we approached East Unalga Island from Unalaska, 

 flocks were seen, this time in whitish winter plumage. On the 

 evening of May 21, 1936, while passing offshore from Unimak Is- 

 land in Bering Sea, we saw bands of red phalaropes, totaling 

 nearly 100, flying over the water. On July 15, over 100 were fly- 

 ing near the Baby Islands in Akutan Pass, and near Rootok Is- 

 land. Next day, more of these birds were seen near Rootok Island. 

 On two occasions, they were seen feeding along a line of dead kelp. 



Cahalane (1943) says "N. J. Benson told me that in August 

 1940 he had seen a flock of 'at least five thousand' of the 'whale 

 birds' in Shelikof Strait." 



Turner (1886) wrote that he "saw but few of these birds at 

 Nushagak. At the mouth of Ugasik River, and the low grounds 

 surrounding it, I saw hundreds of these birds." 



Jaques (1930) says that the red phalarope was "First seen 

 near the Shumagin Islands May 15 and 16, at Moller Bay, and 

 throughout Bering Sea on the northward voyage." And again, 

 "Only one bird (at Port Moller) was seen on or near the shore." 



There is a strong probability that a few red phalaropes nest 

 on parts of Alaska Peninsula. Turner's observations at Nushagak 

 and Ugashik, and the bird noted by Jaques at Port Moller, 

 suggest nesting, because these are birds of the open sea when 

 on migration. Furthermore, on May 25, 1925, I found a female 

 along the stream flowing northwesterward from Aghileen Pin- 

 nacles, on the north side of Alaska Peninsula, and on May 29 

 another female was flushed from a pond in the upper end of the 

 same valley. On June 22 Donald Stevenson shot a female at 

 Hazen Point; he thought that this bird had incubation patches. 



Nelson (1887) says "It is an abundant summer visitant on 

 the Near Islands, .and breeds abundantly on some of the Com- 

 mander group." 



Turner, on the other hand, (1886) says "I have no record 



