Page 43 - An-introduction-to-Svalbard

The grey phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) is a High Arctic wading bird and a locally rare
species that will visit land only during the short nesting season. In it we find an inverse
breeding pattern. When the female has laid its eggs, the male will take over the responsibility for
them and the chicks. Once the chicks are strong enough they journey south to the sea far off the
West African coast, where they spend the rest of the year.

Sometimes other wading birds are observed, e.g. ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres), ringed
plover (Charadrius hiaticula) and sanderling (Calidris alba).

The red-throated diver (Gavia stellata). During the latter part of May the red-throated diver
arrives from its winter quarters along the North Atlantic coasts to its breeding grounds in
Svalbard. The nest is usually placed on a little island in inland lakes. Divers feed on fish that
are often caught away from the nest, usually in the sea.

The snow bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) is a songbird and a spring messenger! Several thousand
pairs of snow buntings nest on Svalbard – in everything from rock crevices and nooks to a
secluded corner of an old mine. In August, families of snow buntings gather for their flight
over the open sea to the Russian steppes where they spend the winter.

The Svalbard ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus hyperboreus) looks very much like the ptarmigan on
the Norwegian mainland, but is somewhat larger. Its ancestor has probably come to Svalbard
from northeast Greenland. Since it cannot fly long distances it stays all year on Svalbard. Its
dense plumage helps it survive the harsh Arctic winter. In the winter, it feeds on seeds and
plant parts that it finds under the snow.

Upper left: Snow bunting. Upper right: Svalbard ptarmigan. Above: Grey phalarope.
Lower: Red-throated diver. 43