Bird of the Month — June is the Red Knot
Q: What do you call a group of red knots?
A: A tangle! (also a cluster or a fling)
June’s bird of the month is the Red Knot (Calidris canutus)!!!!
Red knots are part of the genus Calidris or your typical sandpipers, sometimes called peeps (10.5″ long; 23″ wing span; 4.7oz). These are the largest members of this genus in North America, and one of the easier species to identify in the summer because of their rust-red breeding plumage. However, they are not very common at Bolsa Chica so the birders are always delighted when the birds come to visit. You will find these birds in the mudflats going after mollusks, marine worms, crab eggs, snails, and spiders. This species makes one of the longest migrations of any bird every year (9,300 miles from the Arctic where they breed, to Tierra del Fuego in southern South America).
To learn more about the Red Knot visit The Cornell Lab of Ornithology or the Audubon
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Learn more about the Year of the Bird from: Audubon, BirdLife International, National Geographic, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Watch the birds of Bolsa Chica live on our Eco-Cam!
Photo: Robin Hoyland
