Red-necked Phalarope are related to shorebirds but function more like a seabird. They spend much of their time in the water and spend their winters at sea around the equator. Lobed toes, much like those of grebes, are an adaptation for this aquatic lifestyle. Phalaropes forage by spinning in circles on the water surface confusing and de-mobilizing their invertebrate prey.
Red-necked Phalaropes have disappeared from fall-staging areas offshore of the Bay of Fundy, and AFSI partners need to determine of this decrease is reflected in population declines.