Red Knot

Description:

*Adult Male Description: 1) The Red Knot is a large (9-10 inches long) sandpiper, 2) The tapering bill is short and straight, 3) Legs are short and thick, 4) Head is grey. 5) Has white eyebrow. *Male Breeding plumage: Head is mottled grey on top, with the face, throat, and breast a cinnamon-red. *Adult Female Description: 1) In winter, has slightly longer wings and bill than male. *Female Breeding plumage: Similar to breeding male with the exception that the eye-line is less distinct. *Juvenile and Immature Description: similar to non-breeding adults with the distinction that the grey back-feathers are outlined in black and white.

Habitat:

*Specific Habitat: I observed these Red Knots on the public beach at Orange Beach, Alabama. *General Habitat: The Red Knot breeds in drier tundra areas, such as sparsely vegetated hillsides. Outside of breeding season, it is found primarily in intertidal, marine habitats such as coastal inlets, estuaries, and bays.

Notes:

-- The Red Knot makes one of the longest yearly migrations of any bird, traveling 15,000 km (9,300 mi) from its Arctic breeding grounds to Tierra del Fuego in southern South America.