The Red Knot, Calidris canutus (just Knot in Europe), is a medium sized shorebird which breeds in tundra and the Arctic Cordillera in the far north of Canada, Europe, and Russia. It is a large member of the Calidris sandpipers, second only to the Great Knot.
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 ...
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The Red Knot, Calidris canutus (just Knot in Europe), is a medium sized shorebird which breeds in tundra and the Arctic Cordillera in the far north of Canada, Europe, and Russia. It is a large member of the Calidris sandpipers, second only to the Great Knot.
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.
This species was first described by Linnaeus in his Systema naturae in 1758 as Tringa canutus. One theory is that the Red Knot gets its name and species epithet from King Canute, Knot being another form of Canute; the name would refer to the knot's foraging along the tide line and the story of Canute and the tide. Another etymology is that the name is onomatopoeic, based on the bird's grunting call note.
The Red Knot and the Great Knot were originally the only two species placed in the genus Calidris but many...
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