Wilson's Phalarope

The Wilson's Phalarope is a slender, delicately built shorebird with a small head, and thin, pointed bill. Breeding females are quite colorful, with a gray cap, white eyebrow, and dark crimson mask that extends from the bill to the back of the head and then swoops down the nape toward the back. The throat is white; a rusty wash colors the neck and chest. Otherwise, the female is whitish below and grey above. Males are pale grey above and whitish below, with a light rusty wash on the nape of the neck. In winter, both sexes have grey-white plumage without any warm colors.