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Species › Birds

Red Phalarope

Phalaropus fulicarius

Order
Charadriiformes
Family
Scolopacidae
Presence in the Strait
Seasonal
Protection in Spain
Special protection (List)
In Spanish
Falaropo picogrueso

Photograph: Christoph Moning, CC BY, vía iNaturalist

Length
20–22 cm
Wingspan
37–40 cm
Weight
50–65 g
02040LENGTH20–22 cmWINGSPAN37–40 cmcentimetres

Presence in the Strait

Occasional pelagic winter visitor. Their arrival in the Strait of Gibraltar is motivated by strong storms from the West that may carry them to the coast itself, well away from their route towards those areas in the S of the Atlantic where they winter.

Identification

Small, agile and extremely confiding. Winter plumage consists of very pale, uniform greyish-blue upper body, white lower body and black eye-stripe. Black bill with yellow base and semi-webbed feet. When swimming, floats with great buoyancy. In flight, displays grey rump and wing markings.

Movements

Migrate from the Arctic and may be seen between September and February, with peaks in November. Scolopacidae Zarapito Trinador Zarapito Real Phalaropodidae ad.W ad.W Falaropo Picogrueso

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Gallery

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.