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Great Knot

Calidris tenuirostrisOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Sandpipers (Scolopacidae)
Codes: Common Name: GRKN Scientific Name: CALTEN ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176645
Least Concern
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Great Knot: The breeding adult Great Knot has a black spotted head, brown upperparts, a black and brown spotted white chest and a bright patch of orange-brown on the wing coverts.
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Overview

Great Knot: Medium sandpiper with brown upperparts showing dark spots on crown and back, and white underparts with black spots on breast and sides. Bill is short and black. Wings show bright patch of orange-brown on coverts. Legs and feet are gray-green. Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats.


Range and Habitat

Great Knot: Breeds in subarctic and montane tundra of northeastern Siberia, winters along the coasts of southeast Asia and Australia. Very rarely observed on west coast of Alaska in spring.

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Topo Map: Sandpiper-like Body


Voice Text

"nyut nyut"

Interesting Facts

 The Great Knot was first described by the American physician and naturalist Thomas Horsfield.

 This bird is also known as the Great Sandpiper, the Asiatic Knot, and the Eastern Greater Knot.

 In winter, this species forms enormous flocks, which can contain thousands of birds.

 A group of knots are collectively known as a "cluster", "fling", and "tangle" of knots.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

David Wenzel

Splitbar
Range Map for Great Knot

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Family
Species Calidris tenuirostris
Length11 Inches
Wingspan Inches

Great Knot

Great Knot: Medium sandpiper with brown upperparts showing dark spots on crown and back, and white underparts with black spots on breast and sides. Bill is short and black. Wings show bright patch of orange-brown on coverts. Legs and feet are gray-green. Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats.

● Song: "nyut nyut"

● Foraging & Feeding: Great Knot: Feeds by probing in mud and sand along shorelines and mudflats. Often mixes with other shorebirds. Feeds on insects in breeding season and bivalves during winter.

● Breeding & nesting: Great Knot: Breeds on subarctic or montane tundra, often among rocks and low ground vegetation. Lay four gray yellow eggs with red brown flecks that both parents incubate for 21 days. After eggs hatch, female leaves chicks in care of male. Young birds make first flight when 20 to 25 days.

● Similar species: Great Knot: Red Knot smaller, with shorter bill, lacks strong black spotting. Surfbird has much shorter, orange-based bill and orange legs.

Flight Pattern

Has steady direct flight of all Calidris sandpipers, but wingbeats looser and slower.
Great Knot: Breeding Adult
● Range & Habitat: Great Knot: Breeds in subarctic and montane tundra of northeastern Siberia, winters along the coasts of southeast Asia and Australia. Very rarely observed on west coast of Alaska in spring.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
Population
MigrationMigratory
Weight5.9 Ounces
Sandpiper-like BodyX
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
BreastX
The upper front part of a bird.
CrownX
The crown is the top part of the birds head.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX