Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicaria)

Number of accepted Red Phalarope records for Louisiana = 4 as of 25th Report of the LBRC (2022)


Accepted Records

One male (1950-01) molting from juvenal to first basic plumage on 12 October 1950, East Baton Rouge: [Baton Rouge,] LSU Campus; Robert J. Newman (LSUMZ 14875). This represents the first state record (Lowery 1977); photo on p. 12.

Photo by Donna L. Dittmann

One female (1961-03) molting from juvenal to first basic plumage on 16 September 1961, Cameron: 1 mi. W Holly Beach; Laurence C. Binford (LSUMZ 25135). This represents the second state record and Lowery (1974) also credits Delwyn G. Berrett with its discovery following Hurricane Carla (Lowery 1974).

One in basic plumage (1989-155) on 30 Oct.-15 Nov. 1989, Lafourche: Port Fourchon on Hwy. 3090, just southwest of Hwy. 1; Norton Nelkin, Phillip A. Wallace, John P. Sevenair, Joseph P. Kleiman, Charles Lyon, David R Muth, B. Mac Myers III, Al & Gwen (ph) Smalley, R D. Purrington, Gay Gomez, Nancy L. Newfield, Curtis Sorrells, Esther Boykin, Doris Falkenheiner, John McBride, D. Bruce Crider, (AB 44 (1):106).

One (2015-077) on 17-18 October 2015, Orleans: New Orleans, Bayou Sauvage NWR, Hwy. 11, main pond; David P. Muth (ph). This is only the fourth accepted Louisiana occurrence.

Photo by David Muth

Unaccepted Records

One in non-breeding plumage (1998-109) on 10 October 1998, Jefferson: Metairie, Lake Pontchartrain shoreline at Elmwood Canal at end Waverly Dr. Although the description seemed superficially better for Red than Red-necked phalarope, Members noted that a reported photograph was unaccounted for, and the observer seemed less than 100% confident in the identification. Most Members believed that the documentation was inadequate to support what would have been only the fourth state occurrence.

One in juvenile plumage (2004-076) on 6 May 2004, Vermilion: rice field on north side Hwy. 693 approx. 1.09 mi. W intersection of Hwy. 82 and approx. 0.36 mi. W intersection of Hwys. 693 X 694. The description did not adequately support the identification of this potential fourth or fifth state occurrence.