phalarope

American  

[fal-uh-rohp] / ˈfæl əˌroʊp /

noun

1. any of three species of small, aquatic birds of the family Phalaropodidae, resembling sandpipers but having lobate toes.

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phalarope British  

/ ˈfæləˌrəʊp /

noun

1. any aquatic shore bird of the family Phalaropidae, such as Phalaropus fulicarius ( grey phalarope ), of northern oceans and lakes, having a long slender bill and lobed toes: order Charadriiformes

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Etymology

Origin of phalarope

1770–80; < French < New Latin Phalaropus genus name < Greek phalār ( ís ) coot + -o- -o- + -pous -footed; see -pod

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

phalarope

Their distinctive circling inspired a T-shirt design with a phalarope atop a vinyl record player and the words “Mono Lake, you spin me round!”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2025

In turn, birds like the Wilson’s phalarope — a shorebird that breeds in North America and winters near the Andes mountains — will struggle to find enough nutrients.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 6, 2023

And one, the phalarope, sounds like a crossbreed between Pharrell and a jackalope.

From The Verge ● Jun. 26, 2016

The other was John Bush, a mathematician, who co-authored several papers with Prakash, including two on the feeding mechanism of the red-necked phalarope, an Arctic shorebird.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 21, 2015

Though not exactly web-footed, the phalarope swims with the greatest ease.

From Love's Meinie Three Lectures on Greek and English Birds by Ruskin, John