Calidris tenuirostris
The Great Knot, *Calidris tenuirostris*, is a large and robust member of the sandpiper family (Scolopacidae), known for its epic migrations. Measuring approximately 26-30 cm in length with a wingspan of 60-68 cm and weighing 150-250 grams, it is among the largest of the 'stint' group. In breeding plumage, it is spectacularly marked with heavy black barring and streaking across its breast and flanks, contrasting with a rich rufous-chestnut wash on its mantle and scapulars, and a long, slightly...
Breeds on Arctic tundra and rocky mountain plateaus in northeastern Siberia, often at high elevations. Non-breeding birds inhabit coastal intertidal mudflats, sandy beaches, and sheltered estuaries.
Primarily bivalve molluscs (e.g., small clams, cockles) and marine worms, which they detect by probing in soft sediments. On breeding grounds, they also consume insects and other terrestrial invertebrates.
Great Knots are diurnal feeders, their activity highly synchronized with tidal cycles; they forage intensely on exposed mudflats at low tide and roost in dense, often massive, flocks at high tide. Their primary foraging strategy involves tactile probing, using their specialized bill to detect and...
The Great Knot has a geographically distinct breeding range across high-arctic and mountainous regions of northeastern Siberia, including the Verkhoyansk and Koryak mountains, Chukotka, Magadan Oblast, and the Kamchatka Peninsula. Its extensive non-breeding range spans across Southeast Asia and A...
Critically Endangered
- The Great Knot undertakes one of the longest annual migrations of any bird, traveling up to 30,000 km (18,600 miles) round-trip from Arctic Siberia to Australia and New Zealand. - During migration, Great Knots can nearly double their body weight, accumulating vast fat reserves for their arduous...