PHALAROPES: Family Phalaropodidae [ 2-75 ] 



of neck with a chestnut stripe; throat and chest buffy; stripe over eye, chin, and 

 belly white. Female in breeding plumage: crown and back bluish gray; black stripe 

 along sides of head and neck shading into rich chestnut along lower neck and 

 shoulders; chest and lower part of throat delicate cinnamon buff; upper part of 

 throat, belly, and line over eye white. Adults in winter plumage: upper parts plain 

 gray, chest and sides of breast grayish; rest of under parts white. Young: upper 

 parts dusky, streaked with light cinnamon; under parts white, with tinge of cinna- 

 mon across breast." (Bailey) Downy young: "In its natal down the young Wilson 

 phalarope is entirely unlike the other phalaropes and quite different from any other 

 young wader. The slender bill and long slender legs and feet are characteristic. 

 It is prettily and distinctively colored also. The prevailing color of the upper parts 

 and of a band across the chest is 'ochraceous buff,' deepening on the crown, wings, 

 and mantle almost to 'ochraceous orange,' and paling to buffy or grayish white on 

 the belly and to pure white on the chin and throat. There is a narrow, median, 

 black line on the crown extending nearly or quite to the bill; this is continued in a 

 broad, more or less broken, black stripe down the center of the back to a large black 

 patch on the rump; a black spot on each side of the crown, one on the occiput and 

 several more on wings, thighs, and sides of the back, sometimes run together to form 

 stripes." (Bent) Si%e: "Female, length 9.40-10.00, wing 5.2.0-5.30, bill 1.30-1.35, 

 tarsus 1.30-1.35. Male, length 8.15-9.00, wing 4.75-4.80, bill 1.15, tarsus 1.10- 

 1.15." (Bailey) Nest: A depression in the ground, more or less lined with grass. 

 Eggs: Usually 4, rarely 3, buff, sometimes evenly and sometimes irregularly spotted 

 or blotched with dark brown. 



DISTRIBUTION. General: Breeds from Washington, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Mani- 

 toba, Minnesota, Michigan, and southern Ontario south to Indiana, Missouri, 

 Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and central California. Winters from 

 southern United States southward far into South America. In Oregon: Abundant 

 summer resident and breeding bird in Klamath, Lake, Harney, and Malheur Coun- 

 ties. Breeds less commonly in Crook, Union, and perhaps other eastern Oregon 

 counties where suitable marshes are found. Rare straggler west of Cascades. 



TOWNSEND (1839) fi fst discovered Wilson's Phalarope (Plate 44, 5), as 

 he did so many other species, as an Oregon bird. Although it is an 

 abundant summer resident and breeding bird in eastern Oregon, it appears 

 west of the Cascades only as a rare straggler, the only record being that 

 of Overton Dowell, Jr., from Mercer, May 15, 1917. It appears on the 

 nesting ground in May (earliest date, April 2.1, Malheur County) and 

 remains until August (latest date, September 2.2., Harney County). The 

 eggs are laid in late May or early June (we have no definite dates), and 

 the beautifully marked youngsters can run about as soon as hatched. 



This phalarope is one of Oregon's most interesting nesting birds. That 

 the lady of the house wears the breeches is abundantly demonstrated by 

 the fact that the male does all of the incubating and cares for the young. 

 The more brilliantly colored female lays the eggs and retains an interest 

 in the family as shown by her anxiety whenever any one approaches the 

 nest, but so far as known, her interest does not extend to the point of 

 relieving her hen-pecked spouse of any of the housekeeping drudgery. 



Throughout the breeding season, flocks sometimes of considerable 

 size of nonbreeding birds are found on the marshes, and as soon as the 

 young are feathered out and able to fly they join them. The flocks remain 



