Sandpipers, Phalaropes

Red Knot, Calidris canutus

Family Scolopacidae (Sandpipers, Phalaropes)

Size: 10.5"

Season: Winter

Habitat: Coastal beaches and mudflats

The red knot is a compact, short-legged shorebird with a slightly downcurved bill. In nonbreeding plumage it is mottled gray-brown above and pale below with light streaking. In breeding plumage it has a rufous body with a grayish back and wings. The bill is dark, about the length of the head. In flight the long, pointed wings, which are gray underneath, can be seen. It forages by probing and picking in the mud or sand for a variety of small prey. It often forms tight flocks while roosting and feeding. The breeding adult (bottom) and a nonbreeding adult (top) is illustrated.