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Red Knot
Calidris canutus
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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.
Source: Wikipedia
Classification
- Scientific name
- Calidris canutus
- Family
- Sandpipers and Allies
- Order
- Charadriiformes
Similar species
Other members of the sandpipers and allies family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.
- American Woodcock Scolopax minor
- Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
- Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica
- Black Turnstone Arenaria melanocephala
- Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
- Bristle-thighed Curlew Numenius tahitiensis
- Broad-billed Sandpiper Calidris falcinellus
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper Calidris subruficollis
- Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
- Common Redshank Tringa totanus
- Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
- Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago
Know when the Red Knot turns up near you
How rare bird alerts work →Gear for spotting Red Knot
Optics
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Cameras
Cameras for Bird Photography
From phone adapters to dedicated rigs, here's what actually works for capturing birds in the field.
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