Great knot

A Great Knot of Russia, related to the endangered Calidris tenuirostris, which flies over 9,000 km for winter migration, was recently spotted at Chavakkad beach in Kerala.A Great knot has flown over 9,000 kilometers from Russia for a winter sojourn on Kerala’s coast.

Great knot

• A medium-sized bulky wader with a straight, dark-brown bill and yellowish-brown legs.
• It has a striped crown with an indistinct white eyebrow. Its upperparts are grey, with dark feather tips, its underparts are white.
• The rump is pure white, the tail is tipped with grey.
• Breeding plumage consists of darker upperparts with black and chestnut markings.
• Scientific Name: Calidris tenuirostris

Distribution

• This species breeds in north-east Siberia, Russia, wintering mainly in Australia, but also throughout the coastline of South-East Asia and on the coasts of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.
• In India, it is found along the coastal regions of Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
• The Yellow Sea of North Korea, South Korea and China is a particularly important stop-over site on migration in both spring and autumn.

Habitat and Ecology

• Occurs within sheltered, coastal habitats containing large, intertidal mudflats or sandflats, including inlets, bays, harbours, estuaries and lagoons.
• Often recorded on sandy beaches with mudflats nearby, sandy spits and islets and sometimes on exposed reefs or rock platforms.