Red Knot

Calidris canutus (Linnaeus, 1758)

23–26 cmLength50 cmWingspan142 gWeight

This medium-sized shorebird has a cinnamon face, throat and breast in breeding plumage and is pale gray overall in winter plumage.

Busiest months: August–September · Most records: United States, United Kingdom, Canada

Near Threatened

How to identify

Field marks

White wing-bar in flight; rump and tail gray
Face, throat and breast cinnamon in breeding plumage
Legs and feet short and dark green, giving a low stance when foraging
Bill dark, moderately slender and no longer than the head

Male, female and young

Sexes similar in winter plumage; female slightly paler in breeding plumage, with a fainter eyestripe; first-year juvenile has brown coverts with distinct submarginal lines.

Voice

Gives a low single note, “knutt”, in flock flight, and a double note, “knuup-knuup”, on migration.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: August–September · Most records: United States, United Kingdom, Canada

Red Knot has been recorded at 1,556 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 127 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Fort De Soto ParkUnited States7,072 records
Titchwell Marsh RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom3,595 records
Bolivar Flats Shorebird SanctuaryUnited States2,889 records

More places

Spurn Bird Observatory Recording AreaUnited Kingdom2,378 records
Bolsa Chica Ecological ReserveUnited States2,342 records
Paul do Cabo da PraiaPortugal2,014 records
Longridge PointCanada2,000 records
Parker River NWRUnited States1,940 records
Stone Harbor PointUnited States1,922 records
Huguenot Memorial City ParkUnited States1,754 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United States United Kingdom Canada Australia New Zealand China Spain Portugal

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

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.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Red Knot?

The Red Knot is about 23–26 cm long, with a wingspan of 50 cm and weighs around 142 g.

Where does the Red Knot live?

Its breeding range: North America, Palearctic: patchily in high Arctic (mainly) tundra of Holarctic: northwestern, eastern Greenland, north-central Siberia, islands north of north-central and northeastern Siberia, and northern Chukotskiy Peninsula (northeastern Siberia). It is most often recorded in United States, United Kingdom and Canada.

When is the best time to see the Red Knot?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in August and September (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Red Knot endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Red Knot as Near Threatened.

What does the Red Knot eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Red Knot in?

It belongs to the family Sandpipers, Snipes (Scolopacidae), order Charadriiformes.

At a glance

Length: 23–26 cm
Wingspan: 50 cm
Weight: 142 g
Habitat: Coast & tidal flats
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Near Threatened

More measurements

Wing: 164 mm
Tail: 60 mm
Bill: 38 mm
Tarsus: 30 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

North America, Palearctic: patchily in high Arctic (mainly) tundra of Holarctic: northwestern, eastern Greenland, north-central Siberia, islands north of north-central and northeastern Siberia, and northern Chukotskiy Peninsula (northeastern Siberia)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2