Charadriiformes / Scolopacidae / Calidris
Great Knot
Calidris tenuirostris · 大滨鹬
Introduction
A small wader in the family Scolopacidae and one of the largest species in the genus Calidris. It is a migratory bird that breeds in eastern Siberia, Russia, and winters on coasts in southern Asia and Australia. The species forms enormous flocks during the winter season.
Description
Adults measure 26 to 30 cm (10 to 12 in) in length, with a wingspan of 56 to 66 cm (22 to 26 in), and weigh 115 to 261 g (4.1 to 9.2 oz). They have short dark legs and a medium-length thin dark bill. Breeding adults display mottled greyish upper parts with a distinct band of rufous feathering on the scapular feathers. The face, throat, and breast are heavily spotted black, with some streaks on the rear belly. In winter, the plumage becomes uniformly pale grey above.
Identification
Distinguished from the red knot by breeding plumage, as the latter has a distinctive red face, throat, and breast. In other plumages, identification relies on larger size, longer bill, deeper chest, and more streaked upper parts compared to similar species.
Distribution & Habitat
Breeds in tundra habitats in northeast Siberia, Russia. Strongly migratory, wintering on coasts in southern Asia through to Australia. Recorded in summer in low numbers in western Alaska, USA, and in winter in small numbers west to Pakistan, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. Vagrants have occurred in Great Britain, Morocco, New Zealand, British Columbia (Canada), and the US states of Oregon, West Virginia, and Maine.
Behavior & Ecology
Nests on the ground in a scrape, laying about four eggs. Forages on mudflats and beaches by probing or picking up food by sight. Diet mainly consists of molluscs and insects.
Conservation
Listed as critically endangered in Australia under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 as of August 2023. A March 2023 study suggested populations are now stable or declining at a rate less than the threatened threshold. Under state and territory legislation in Australia, it is listed as vulnerable in New South Wales and the Northern Territory; endangered in South Australia; and critically endangered in Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia. The species is covered by the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA).
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Scolopacidae
- Genus
- Calidris
Distribution
breeds montane tundra of northeastern Siberia from Yakutsk eastward to Anadyr Peninsula; winters coasts from northeastern Arabian Peninsula eastward to Taiwan, Phillipines, and Australia
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.
