The Red Phalarope is the most pelagic of the 3 phalarope species, spending up to 11 months each year in marine habitats. Its migratory routes and winter areas are entirely pelagic, in contrast to those of Red-necked (Phalaropus lobatus) and Wilson's (P. wilsonii) phalaropes, and it generally feeds on smaller invertebrate prey items than the former. Migrants in Alaska feed on crustaceans in mud plumes created by benthic-foraging gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus), or near bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus), a habit that prompted European whalers to label Red Phalaropes “bowhead birds” (Nelson 1883) and to use flocks to locate whales.
Reference: Birds of the World - Cornell Lab of Ornithology