Calidris canutus, Red Knot

General Description

The Red Knot is a medium-sized, dumpy grey wader with a short neck and long body. The bill is short and straight and there is a faint pale brow line. The green-grey legs are short. The upper body is brownish-grey with fine dark streaks on the head and neck. The underbody is white with some light streaking. In breeding plumage, the upper body is boldly marked, contrasting with the chestnut-red body.

Biology

This is a highly migratory species, breeding in the high Arctic, then migrating south. Red Knots gather in large flocks with other waders. They walk fast, probing rapidly in soft sand and mud for worms, bivalves and crustaceans and also eat spiders, insects, seeds and shoots. They feed by day and night, regulated by the tide.

Distribution

Across Australia.

Habitat

Coastal sandy estuaries with muddy tidal flats.