Great Knot
A species of Calidris Scientific name : Calidris tenuirostris Genus : Calidris
Great Knot, A species of Calidris
Botanical name: Calidris tenuirostris
Genus: Calidris
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Aviceda , used under CC-BY-SA-3.0 /Cropped and compressed from original
Description
This species has short dark legs and a medium-length thin dark bill. Breeding adults have mottled greyish upperparts with some rufous feathering. The face, throat and breast are heavily spotted black, and there are also some streaks on the rear belly. In winter the plumage becomes uniformly pale grey above. This bird is closely related to the more widespread red knot. In breeding plumage, the latter has a distinctive red face, throat and breast. In other plumages, the great knot can be identified by its larger size, longer bill, deeper chest, and the more streaked upperparts. These birds forage on mudflats and beaches, probing or picking up food by sight. They mainly eat molluscs and insects. The great knot is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
Size
28 cm (11 in)
Life Expectancy
10 years
Feeding Habits
Great Knot's diet consists of bivalves, gastropods, crustaceans, annelids, and sea cucumbers, supplemented by berries and insects. Great Knot forages on mudflats during low tide, showcasing a specialized bill for probing and capturing prey.
Habitat
The great Knot primarily inhabits subarctic montane tundra regions, characterized by plateaux or gentle slopes with an elevation ranging from 300–1700 meters. The breeding grounds are diverse, consisting of gravelly areas with lichen, herbs, and heather, or areas with dense lichen layers intermingled with depressed larch or dwarf pine forests. During the non-breeding season, great Knot can be found along sheltered coastal zones featuring vast intertidal mudflats and sandflats, such as inlets, bays, harbors, estuaries, lagoons, and ocean beaches. Occasionally, great Knot may also frequent inland swamps, lakes, and river mouths.
Dite type
Aquatic invertebrate eater
General Info
Distribution Area
Their breeding habitat is tundra in northeast Siberia. They nest on the ground laying about four eggs in a ground scrape. They are strongly migratory wintering on coasts in southern Asia through to Australia. This species forms enormous flocks in winter. The species is recorded in low numbers in western Alaska most years, and has occurred as a vagrant in British Columbia, Oregon, West Virginia, and Maine.
Species Status
ENDANGERED. Global population approximately 290,000–380,000 individuals and declining. At end of 20th century, Australian wintering population estimated at 270,000... read more
Photo By Aviceda , used under CC-BY-SA-3.0 /Cropped and compressed from original