Page 178 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WADERS
Order Charadriiformes Family Scolopacidae Species Calidris canutus
Knot spangled chestnut, black,
and buff on back
pale coppery pale stripe
red head over eye
thin pale
wingbar
pale coppery
red underparts pale grey
back

pale ADULT shortish,
grey rump (WINTER) ADULT (SUMMER) straight
and tail black bill
IN FLIGHT

whitish belly
lacy pattern of
dark and light
feather edges short grey
legs
ADULT
(WINTER)
apricot-tinged
underparts
JUVENILE
any waders flock together and some make dense
Mpacks when they roost at high tide, but few are as
social at all times as the Knot. It forms enormous flocks, sometimes
totalling hundreds of thousands. Such flocks flying over estuaries, FLIGHT: quick, strong; quite shallow wingbeats;
moving to new feeding areas, or perhaps disturbed from a roost, are flocks make coordinated movements.
among the most dramatic of all bird spectacles.The rare solitary
Knot is likely to be one of the occasional migrants that turn up near
pools and reservoirs inland. In autumn, these may be juveniles and
can be exceptionally tame, probably never having seen a human
before in their short life. Knot flocks typically swarm over mudflats
in slow, steady progession, heads down, feeding avidly.
VOICE Rather quiet; dull, short nut, occasionally bright, whistled
note; no obvious flight note.
NESTING Shallow hollow on ground in cold tundra, usually near
water; 3 or 4 eggs; 1 brood; May–July. ROOSTING
FEEDING Takes insects and plant material in summer, and molluscs Knots and Dunlins stand shoulder to shoulder as they
and marine worms in winter. wait for the tide to recede.
SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRENCE
Breeds in Arctic tundra. Found in
GREY PLOVER winter, short, DUNLIN winter; W Europe from late summer to
white rump; thick bill see p.178
see p.173 late spring; biggest numbers in
winter in dense flocks on large
muddy estuaries and in small
larger smaller numbers on wide variety of
shorelines.
browner slightly
curved Seen in the UK
bill J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 23–27cm (9–10 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 47–54cm (18 1 ⁄2 –21 1 ⁄2in) Weight 125–215g (4–8oz)
Social Large flocks Lifespan Up to 10 years Status Localized
176