Phalarope's 8,000-mile Trip

Where do Shetland's Red-necked Phalaropes go in the winter? It has long been assumed that they join birds from Scandinavia to overwinter in the Arabian Sea but data from a bird tagged on the Shetland Isle of Fetlar in 2012 has shown that these tiny birds make an even more epic journey than was thought.

One of 10 birds tagged with tiny tracking devices by the RSPB and the Swiss Ornithological Institute, aided by the Shetland Ringing Group, when recaptured was found to have undertaken an 8,000-mile journey over the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean and Mexico, ending up in Peru, before returning again for the summer, a journey never recorded for any bird that breeds in Europe.

The Red-necked Phalarope spends the winter at sea feeding on the plankton that blooms in colder currents. The birds may be directly affected by El Nino events, which reduce the amount of plankton available.