Red knot

Red knot
Calidris canutus rufa, breeding plumage
Non-breeding plumage
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris
Species:
C. canutus
Binomial name
Calidris canutus
Distribution and migration routes of the six subspecies of the red knot
Synonyms

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 a large member of the Calidris sandpipers, second only to the great knot.[2] 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.

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2018). "Calidris canutus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22693363A132285482. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22693363A132285482.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference shorebirds was invoked but never defined (see the help page).