Red Knot
Calidris canutus
Where is it found?
Estuaries, mudflats and shorelines
Diet and foraging method
Key adaptations
They have special sensory organs to detect prey without touching them by sensing changes in the sediment water pressure. They also have a strong, muscular gizzard for cracking the shells of prey after swallowing.
Social organisation and mating system
Roosts in large flocks during winter
During the breeding season, Red Knots form monogamous pairs
Did you know that...?
Red Knots undertake long distance migrations between breeding and non-breeding grounds which can be up to 15,000 km!
Taxonomy
Picture credits:
Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
"Calidris canutus (summer)" by © Hans Hillewaert. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Calidris_canutus_(summer).jpg#/media/File:Calidris_canutus_(summer).jpg
"Red-Knot (Calidris canutus) RWD3" by Dick Daniels (http://carolinabirds.org/) - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red-Knot_(Calidris_canutus)_RWD3.jpg#/media/File:Red-Knot_(Calidris_canutus)_RWD3.jpg
"Calidris canutus MHNT" by Didier Descouens - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Calidris_canutus_MHNT.jpg#/media/File:Calidris_canutus_MHNT.jpg
"Calidris canutus (summer)" by © Hans Hillewaert. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Calidris_canutus_(summer).jpg#/media/File:Calidris_canutus_(summer).jpg
"Red-Knot (Calidris canutus) RWD3" by Dick Daniels (http://carolinabirds.org/) - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red-Knot_(Calidris_canutus)_RWD3.jpg#/media/File:Red-Knot_(Calidris_canutus)_RWD3.jpg
"Calidris canutus MHNT" by Didier Descouens - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Calidris_canutus_MHNT.jpg#/media/File:Calidris_canutus_MHNT.jpg