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The spring plumage of female of Grey Phalarope is brick-red with the white mask and plain dark-brown crown, the feathers of back are dark-brown with buffy edges. The beak is flat and wide, dark-tipped yellow. The males are smaller than females, are same colored, but not so bright; have yellowish and white mottles on the flanks and belly, have the more narrow and less neat white mask, the crown is buffy mottled. The plumage coloration is very variable, especially on males. On all plumage the upperwing is with the broad white band. Winter plumage is white below, light grey above, bill is dark yellow-based or completely dark. From afar the Grey Phalarope can be distinguished from the Red-necked Phalarope by the light-grey back. The juveniles are brownish above with rusty-edged feathers, the neck and breast the heavy brownish or pinkish tinge, the bill is dark. Juveniles are very similar to the juvenile Red-necked Phalaropes, to be distinguished by the wide beak (from a distance looks like thick), the small eyespot. Weight 42-65 gr, wing 12.2-13.4, wingspan- 37-40 cm

Distribution

Once in a way the Grey Phalarope was recorded on migration on plains: on Eastern Trans-Caspian area (April 8, 1935), on Selety lake (May 28, 1899), in lower Ilek on Sorkul lake(early August), in lower Irgyz valley (June 6, 1898), in Tengiz-Kurgaldzhino depression (October 20, 1969), on Irtysh river near Ust-Kamenogorsk (October 20-27, 1976), on Alakol lake (September 2), on Sasyk-Kol lake (September 21), in Karatal mouth (May 30), Kapchagay on Ile river (June 27 1945), in Tashkent area (September 27 1909), and near Almaty on Sorbulak lake (August 18 and September 6 1985; September 3, 2001; October 29, 2007).

Biology

Grey Phalarope is very rare passage migrant. It occurs on the large fresh or salty lakes with the muddy or sandy shores. In spring it were recorded from the early April to the entry of June, but near Ilisk town it was observed at June 27, 1945. Autumn records were from the mid-August to the end of October. More frequently the single birds in the flocks of Red-necked Phalarope were observed.

References

В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Урала, Приуралья и Западной Сибири". Екатеринбург, Изд-во Уральского университета, 2000.
Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999.
Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005.