Red Knot

About the Red Knot

The red knot or just knot (Calidris canutus) is a medium-sized shorebird which breeds in tundra and the Arctic Cordillera in the far north of Canada, Europe, and Russia. It is the type species of the genus Calidris. Six subspecies are recognised.

Their diet varies according to season; arthropods and larvae are the preferred food items at the breeding grounds, while various hard-shelled molluscs are consumed at other feeding sites at other times. North American breeders migrate to coastal areas in Europe and South America, while the Eurasian populations winter in Africa, Papua New Guinea, Australia, and New Zealand. This species forms enormous flocks when not breeding.

The red knot was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae as Tringa canutus. The red knot and the great knot were originally the only two species placed in the genus Calidris, but many other species of sandpiper were subsequently added. A 2004 study found that the genus was polyphyletic and that the closest relative of the two knot species is the surfbird (Calidris virgata).

There are six subspecies, in order of size: C. c. roselaari... Wikipedia →