. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. f Vol. 74 12 1954 On the Bill-colour of the Adult Grey Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius (Linnaeus) in Winter Plumage By Mr. Bryan L. Sage Received 1st December, 1953 According to Witherby's " Handbook of British Birds," Vol. IV, p. 218 the bill-colour of the adult female Grey Phalarope is chrome yellow with a black tip, and that of the male black with a yellow base. The bill of both sexes of the Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus (Linnaeus) is completely black at all seasons. An adult Grey Phalarope, almost certainly a male, that wa
. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. f Vol. 74 12 1954 On the Bill-colour of the Adult Grey Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius (Linnaeus) in Winter Plumage By Mr. Bryan L. Sage Received 1st December, 1953 According to Witherby's " Handbook of British Birds," Vol. IV, p. 218 the bill-colour of the adult female Grey Phalarope is chrome yellow with a black tip, and that of the male black with a yellow base. The bill of both sexes of the Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus (Linnaeus) is completely black at all seasons. An adult Grey Phalarope, almost certainly a male, that was seen at close quarters on Wilstone Reservoir, Tring, Herts, on 15th November, 1953, had a completely black bill. This is not mentioned in any of the numerous text-books that I have consulted. The identity of the bird was placed beyond doubt by the fact that the bill was short and broad and not long and narrow as in the Red-necked Phalarope. At my request, Mr. Derek Goodwin kindly examined the Grey Phalaropes in winter plumage in the British Museum collection; there are not a great many. He reports that all showed a light area on the bill that was probably yellow in life. In many it is extensive and obvious (probably females) and in a few very small and ill defined (males?). It seems evident that at least a small percentage of adult male Grey Phalaropes have completely black bills in winter. Therefore the only certain method of differentiating between the two species at this season is by the length and stoutness of the bill. Some observers, particularly those who have not had experience of both species are apt to assume that any phalarope with a completely black bill seen in the winter is a Red- necked Phalarope. As I have shown above this is not the case. Further observation will probably show that quite a large percentage of adult male Grey Phalaropes have black bills in the winter. At the time of going to press, I have just been informed by two independent observers that a
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