Red Knot

Breeding adults have a distinct brick-red face, breast, and underparts with dark-spotted grey upperparts. Non-breeding (winter) adults are plain pale grey above and whitish below with faint breast streaking. Juveniles feature scaly upperparts with dark fringes and pale fringes.

Stocky body, short dark straight bill, medium length greenish/dark legs, pale grey back and whitish underparts in winter plumage.

Length: 23-25 cm (9-10 in), Wingspan: 47-53 cm (18-21 in), Weight: 100-200 g (3.5-7 oz)

A low, soft, musical low-pitched 'tut-tut' or a grating 'knup' call.

Invertebrates, primarily hard-shelled mollusks, crustaceans, and marine worms, which they crush whole in their muscular gizzard.

Coastal marine habitats, intertidal mudflats, sandbars, and occasionally inland tundra during the breeding season.

Long-distance migrant, traveling up to 15,000 km each way between Arctic breeding grounds and southern wintering areas.

Nests on the Arctic tundra in a shallow scrape lined with leaves and lichens. Clutch size is typically 4 eggs. Both parents share incubation duties.

Distinguished from other sandpipers by its stocky build, short bill, and grey winter coloration. Sanderling is smaller and lacks the dense flocking coordination.

Acts as an important indicator of coastal ecosystem health. Their migration is famously synchronized with the spawning of horseshoe crabs, serving a vital role in intertidal food webs.

IUCN Endangered, with populations experiencing significant declines due to habitat loss and overharvesting of prey resources like horseshoe crab eggs.

Look for large, tightly packed flocks roosting on sandy beaches or mudflats during high tide. Use a spotting scope to scan for banded individuals.

Red Knots are famous for the Delaware Bay stopover where they feed intensively on horseshoe crab eggs to double their body weight before the final leg of their Arctic migration.