# Red knot (*Calidris canutus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-knot  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The red knot (Calidris canutus) is a small migratory bird in the family Scolopacidae, order Charadriiformes. It is an aquatic predator and carnivore of coastal habitats, with a terrestrial foraging lifestyle. Adults weigh from 125.8 to 148 g, with a representative value of 141.9 g, and the wingspan is 50 cm. The IUCN Red List classifies it as Near Threatened, which is not a threatened category, and checklists record it in Australia.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 125.8 g – 148 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 50 cm |
| Lifespan | 16.1 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 26.7 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | coastal |
| Egg incubation | 22 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.94 |
| Age at maturity | 2.74 years – 3 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | 1 country |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Charadriiformes
- family: Scolopacidae
- genus: Calidris
- species: *Calidris canutus* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Erolia canutus*, *Tringa calidris*

## Countries on record

Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.

Australia

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the red knot?

The red knot is a small migratory bird in the family Scolopacidae and the order Charadriiformes.

### How heavy is a red knot?

An adult red knot weighs 141.9 g as a representative value, with reported values from 125.8 to 148 g. Its wingspan is 50 cm.

### What does the red knot eat?

The red knot is an aquatic predator and a carnivore.

### Is the red knot endangered?

No, the red knot is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a red knot live?

The red knot has a lifespan of 16.1 years, with values up to 26.7 years reported by sources.

### How many eggs does a red knot lay?

The red knot lays 3.9 eggs per clutch as a representative value, with 1 clutch per year. Incubation lasts 22 days.

### Which countries is the red knot recorded in?

Checklists record the red knot in Australia.

### Who named the red knot?

The red knot, Calidris canutus, was named by (Linnaeus, 1758).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Red knot (Calidris canutus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-knot