This is the first post of a weekly series in which I will feature a bird species that has been subjected to nomenclature (see the What’s in a Name blog post series). If you would like to, I would love it if you would submit a new name for the featured bird in the box.
Bird of The Week : Wilson’s Phalarope
The Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor) is a member of the sandpiper family and in my opinion the most attractive of the bunch. Unlike most species of birds, the phalarope females are more colorful than the males. If you want to learn more about this, you can visit my blog, Some Females Aren’t Plain. Both the male and the female are around 23 centimeters long and weigh about 2 ounces. The breeding female sports a long black stripe running down her neck, a silvery cap, long needle-like beak, and an orangish belly. Before submitting your name please verify that such a bird does not exist. For more inspiration on your name you can try out the following websites:
Thinking up a new name can be hard, so here are a few tips:
- Try not to include “Common” in your name
- Take into account the habitat, calls, and/or features of the bird in question. There is such a thing as a Black-bellied Whistling Duck!
- For scientific names that are not based on the person the bird is named after, try to include it. For instance, the Wilson’s Snipe (Gallinago delicata) might be called the Delicate Snipe.
If you are interested in participating in more of these, each week’s bird will also be available on a separate page titled Name That Bird!
Missoula Bird Nerds 
The Name That Birds! are amazing ways to be creative! Looking forwards to the next one. Looking forward to hopefully meeting you at the Sage Grouse lek with Linda Rebich!
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