Odd birds have quite a neck

RED-NECKED phalarope sounds like a piece of abuse you might hurl at an intruder.

In fact it’s a small, delicate and rare wading bird with some rather eccentric habits.

I mentioned them in this column last week in the context of gender roles in bird species. One reader emailed: “The phalarope sounds like an interesting duck. Is it only be seen in Mayo, or is it gone from Ireland?”