Red Knot (Calidris canutus)
About the Red Knot
The red knot or just knot (Calidris canutus) is a medium-sized shorebird which breeds in tundra and the Arctic Cordillera in the far north of Canada, Europe, and Russia. It is the type species of the genus Calidris. Six subspecies are recognised. Their diet varies according to season; arthropods and larvae are the preferred food items at the breeding grounds, while various hard-shelled molluscs are consumed at other feeding sites at other times. 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. The red knot was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae as Tringa canutus.
A real field recording of the Red Knot. Press play and focus on the rhythm and pitch of each phrase.
Listen
Our streaming copies are mirrored from the original xeno-canto file and transcoded to 96 kbps mono — a modification, so we note it here; the licence for each recording is named in its credit below.
3 recordings on this page · licensed Public Domain / CC0 ×2 · CC BY ×1 · mirrored on this server, free for commercial reuse · recorded in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France and elsewhere · xeno-canto lists 319 recordings for this species in total.
Similar species
- Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdiirecording
- Broad-billed SandpiperCalidris falcinellusrecording
- Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisprofile
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferruginearecording
- DunlinCalidris alpinarecording
- Great KnotCalidris tenuirostrisprofile
Species grouped by shared genus, family and range.