Calidris canutus
| Red knot | |
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| Calidris canutus rufa, breeding plumage | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Scolopacidae |
| Genus: | Calidris |
| Species: | C. canutus |
| Binomial name | |
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Calidris canutus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
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| Distribution and migration routes of the six subspecies of the red knot | |
| Synonyms | |
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Tringa canutus |
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Tringa canutus
The red knot (Calidris canutus) (just knot in English-speaking 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. 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 Linnaeus in the landmark 1758 tenth edition of his Systema Naturae as Tringa canutus. One theory is that it 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. There appears to be no historical foundation for this etymology. Another etymology is that the name is onomatopoeic, based on the bird's grunting call note.
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Wikipedia