- Calidris canutus
Identification
An adult Red Knot is 23-26 cm long with a 47-53 cm wingspan. It has short dark legs and a medium thin dark bill. The body is mottled grey on top with a cinnamon face, throat and breast and light-coloured rear belly. In winter the plumage becomes uniformly pale grey.
Distribution
Breeds in the high Arctic, rarely in the Western Palearctic but there are old breeding records for Svalbard.
Mainly a passage migrant and winter visitor to the region. Main wintering areas are around the British Isles and on coasts from Denmark to Spain and the Atlantic coast of North-West Africa. Smaller numbers are found in the Mediterranean mainly on the coasts of Spain and Tunisia, southern Italy, Sicily and Greece. Common on passage in the Baltic and on North-West European coasts in Jul-Sep with smaller numbers again in May.
Vagrant to various Cyprus and the Near East countries, Madeira and Cape Verde Islands. Vagrant or rare but regular winter visitor to the Azores.
Subspecies Wintering birds in Western Europe are mainly ssp islandica from breeding grounds in Arctic Canada, birds on passage include many canutus from North Siberia but the races cannot be separated in winter plumage. Subspecies rufa from Canada south of islandica has been reported from Britain.
Taxonomy
There are six subspecies, in order of size;
- C. c. roselaari (largest)
- C. c. rufa
- C. c. canutus
- C. c. islandica
- C. c. rogersi
- C. c. piersmai (smallest)
Habitat
Breeds in, sparsely vegetated foothills and high, rocky plateaux. On passage and in winter found on sandy and muddy shores, on wide estuaries and mudflats. Also on shingle beaches and sometimes on coastal grassland.
Behaviour
The female lays 3 to 4 eggs. Its nest is a shallow scrape which is lined with leaves and moss. Both parents incubate the eggs, but the female leaves before the young fledge. After the young have fledged the male begins his migration south and the young make their first migration on their own.
Bird Song
<flashmp3>Calidris canutus (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
