Red Knot (Calidris canutus)

Rather plain and easy to overlook in non-breeding plumage this cosmopolitan species is uncommon in our area as a migrant and locally as a winter visitor. They are continuing to decline over much of their range and are currently classified as "near threatened." Here In San Francisco Bay they are most often seen on an outgoing tide when the receding water traps intertidal invertebrates especially small mollusks, at or near the surface.