DSC6885 Knot..
Knot - Calidris Canutus
Norfolk
The knot is a medium-sized, short, stocky sandpiper that migrates to the UK in large numbers during winter from its Arctic breeding grounds. Commonly spotted feeding in estuaries around the coast, the largest numbers can be seen at high tide roosts in the depths of winter. A long-distance migrant, the knot can travel up to 15,000 km, stopping along the way at least once to feed. Knots eat invertebrates, molluscs and crustaceans which they find by probing their bills in the mud and sand; special sensory organs in their bill tips help them to detect buried prey in a similar fashion to the way echolocation works in bats.
The knot is fairly large and chunky, with short, green legs. In winter, they are silvery-grey on top and white underneath. In summer, they are brick-red underneath, with speckled, rust-brown upperparts. The bill is long, black and straight.
A common winter visitor to our coast, gathering in very large numbers on muddy estuaries.
Habitats
FreshwaterCoastalWetlands
DSC6885 Knot..
Knot - Calidris Canutus
Norfolk
The knot is a medium-sized, short, stocky sandpiper that migrates to the UK in large numbers during winter from its Arctic breeding grounds. Commonly spotted feeding in estuaries around the coast, the largest numbers can be seen at high tide roosts in the depths of winter. A long-distance migrant, the knot can travel up to 15,000 km, stopping along the way at least once to feed. Knots eat invertebrates, molluscs and crustaceans which they find by probing their bills in the mud and sand; special sensory organs in their bill tips help them to detect buried prey in a similar fashion to the way echolocation works in bats.
The knot is fairly large and chunky, with short, green legs. In winter, they are silvery-grey on top and white underneath. In summer, they are brick-red underneath, with speckled, rust-brown upperparts. The bill is long, black and straight.
A common winter visitor to our coast, gathering in very large numbers on muddy estuaries.
Habitats
FreshwaterCoastalWetlands