Red Knot

A compact medium-sized wader forming dense winter flocks.

A recording has not been added yet. Use the identification notes below for now.

I know this bird · Record a sighting Where to look & how to find it ↓

FIELDCRAFT · FIND WITH CARE

Finding guide

Season first

Choose the season, find the habitat, then watch patiently. Search guidance is not a measure of rarity or conservation status.

When to go: Mainly autumn to spring, including passage
Where to start: Estuary paths and hides overlooking tidal flats; do not flush roosting flocks.
What to do when you arrive: In autumn and winter, compare stockier birds with shorter, straight bills in estuary flocks. Winter plumage is largely grey and white, not the red suggested by the name.

Habitat and behaviour reference: BirdWatch Ireland ↗ · The practical steps are editorial advice based on the references, not live sightings.

SPECIES NOTESSpecies notes

How to identify it

Stockier than Dunlin with a relatively short straight bill and grey-green legs. Grey and white in winter; brick-red face and underparts in breeding plumage.

Habitat

Estuaries, intertidal mud and sand, and coastal shallows.

Behaviour

Feeds on shellfish and other invertebrates in intertidal mud and sand.

When to look

Mainly autumn to spring, including passage

Where to look

Estuary paths and hides overlooking tidal flats; do not flush roosting flocks.

Reference photos do not show every sex, age, season or geographic form; use the identification notes too.

Further reading:BirdWatch Ireland ↗ · BTO · Knot and Dunlin ↗ · Wikipedia ↗

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