Phalaropus Definition

A genus of birds in the order Charadriiformes, comprising four species that are known as red-necked phalaropes, black-necked phalaropes, red-breasted phalaropes, and cosmopolitan phalaropes. These are small, primarily marine shorebirds with unisexual plumage coloration and peculiar feeding habits, whereby they feed by swimming in circles in the water, creating a vortex that brings food to the surface.