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Great Knot (Calidris tenuirostris) Alternate name(s): "Japanese Knot", "Stripe-crowned Knot", "Great Sandpiper" Size: 26-28 cm; wing span 62-66 cm Body mass: 130-230 g

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Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Great Knots are small waders. Their plumage is highly cryptic. When seen in Australia, they are usually (but not always) in eclipse plumage. During the non-breeding season, except for some dark-brown streaking on breast, flanks and nape of the neck, they have a light-grey front. The cap and sides of the head are light-grey, with dark-grey streaking. They have light-grey eyebrows and sides of the throat. The back is grey, with light-grey edge lining, giving them a scaly appearance. In-flight they show a thin wing bar. During the breeding season, the colour contrast increases, with the chest richly scalloped black, while the flanks are sparsely scalloped. The head is light-grey with black streaking, except for eyebrows and chin patch. The back turns dark-grey, with some chestnut patches on the scapulars. The eyes have dark irises. The dark-grey bill is near-straight and clearly longer than the size of the head. The legs and feet are dark-grey. In flight the feet do not protrude beyond the tail. Juveniles have a very fine, crisp, scaly pattern on the back (that is much neater than in non-breeding adults), with chestnut and grey edge lining on a grey base. Fresh plumage also shows a buff wash on the breast. Twitcher's tip Compared with other relatively small species of sandpipers and stints, they have the longest straight black bill. In flight their rump and tail have the shape of two letters "U" - an inner white one and a terminal black "U"-band. The correct identification of waders ("shorebirds"), e.g. of the Calidris, Tringa, Actitis and related families or of the Charadrius, Pluvialis and related genera in the field can be quite tricky. We have therefore made an attempt to give some advice HERE.

Taxonomy, classification See Great Knot at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Great Knot is available HERE . Great Knots are a strongly migratory species. Their breeding grounds are located in Arctic tundra in north-eastern Siberia. They winter in coastal regions basically all around the southern coastline of Asia from Arabia in the West, via the Persian Gulf, the Indian subcontinent eastward to eastern China, Korea and Japan. Many proceed into the South-east Asian islands (Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea), part of which continue on their way southward to winter in coastal regions of Australia. Great Knots are migrants to Australia from the North, to Cape York peninsula via the Torres Straight, but also to the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Top End of the NT, as far West as Darwin, from Java, Indonesia. They are usually found only along the entire Australian coastline, including Tasmania and lots of small offshore islands. They are only rarely found inland - mostly in VIC and the south-eastern corner of SA. Great Knots have a preference for tidal sands and mudflats. They are often found together with Red Knots.

Sightings Click here for sighting information C. Hayne reports seeing 5 knots, including at least one Great Knot in non-breeding plumage, together with several other species of waders, resting on a sandbank on the shore of Lake Chickiba, Ballina, NSW, in December 2012 to January 2013. B. Hensen reports spotting Great Knots at both Lee Point and East Point, Darwin, NT, semi-regularly. They were also found at the former location by P. Brown in February 2020. H. Mouritsen reports spotting 4 Great Knots near Darwin, NT, in October 2015. J. Greaves spotted a small mixed flock of Great Knots and Red Knots at Alfred Cove, Swan River, Perth, WA, in January 2017. M. Eaton reports finding Great Knots at the Toorbul wader roost, Brisbane, QLD, in January 2018, and at Wellington Point, near Brisbane, QLD, in March 2019. On the other side of the Australian continent, M. Eaton spotted a large number of Great Knots at Campsite Beach, Roebuck Bay, near Broome, WA, in June 2026. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours spotted a Great Knot at the Esplanade, Cairns, QLD, in September 2020.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

BREEDING

Frontal and lateral views of 3 Great Knots in breeding plumage (the dark birds), together with one in non-breeding plumage and a Red Knot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Campsite Beach, Roebuck Bay, near Broome, WA, June 2026]

Part of a flock of Great Knots, many of which in breeding plumage (the dark birds with rufous feathers on their backs), together with some in non-breeding plumage and a small number of other waders (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Campsite Beach, Roebuck Bay, near Broome, WA, June 2026]

Frontal and lateral views of Great Knots in near-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Wellington Point, near Brisbane, QLD, March 2019]

Near-lateral view of a Great Knot in near-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Wellington Point, near Brisbane, QLD, March 2019]

Lateral view of a Great Knot in near-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Wellington Point, near Brisbane, QLD, March 2019]

Lateral view of a Great Knot in near-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Esplanade, Cairns, QLD, September 2020]

Lateral view of a Red Knot in breeding plumage, front, together with a Great Knot in breeding plumage, right, a second Great Knot in non-breeding plumage, centre, and two Greater Sand Plovers in non-breeding plumage in the background
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[East Point, Darwin, NT, March 2013]

Lateral view of a number of Great Knots in both breeding plumage (dark chest) and non-breeding plumage, together with a few Red Knots, one of which in near-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[East Point, Darwin, NT, March 2013]

Flock of Great Knots in both breeding plumage (dark chest) and non-breeding plumage, together with some Red Knots, one of which in near-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, March 2020]

NON-BREEDING

Frontal view of a Great Knot in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Alfred Cove, Swan River, Perth, WA, in January 2017]

Near-lateral view of two Great Knots in non-breeding plumage, left, together with two Red Knots, also in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, July 2017]

Lateral view of Great Knots in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Alfred Cove, Swan River, Perth, WA, in January 2017]

Part of a flock of Great Knots in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, February 2020]

Large flock of Great Knots in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lee Point, Darwin, NT, January 2016]

Small flock of Great Knots with one Red Knots - the bird in front, with a bill that is as long as the size of the head
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Alfred Cove, Swan River, Perth, WA, in January 2017]

Small flock of Great Knots with two Red Knots - the bird in the middle with its bill under water and the one on the far right
(photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Alfred Cove, Swan River, Perth, WA, in January 2017]

Lateral view of a Great Knot with two green bands; click on image to see the surrounding mob of Bar-tailed Godwits
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Toorbul wader roost, Brisbane, QLD, January 2018]

Lateral view of Great Knots; click on image to see the surrounding mob of Bar-tailed Godwits (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Toorbul wader roost, Brisbane, QLD, January 2018]

Small flock of Great Knots in flight (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Alfred Cove, Swan River, Perth, WA, in January 2017]

Small flock of Great Knots in flight (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Alfred Cove, Swan River, Perth, WA, in January 2017]

Flock of mostly Great Knots in flight, together with a few Red Knots and two Black-tailed Godwits
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[East Point, Darwin, NT, March 2013]

Flock of mostly Great Knots in flight, together with a few Red Knots (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[East Point, Darwin, NT, December 2015]

Great Knots coming in to land; note that the bird just below the centre is banded (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[East Point, Darwin, NT, December 2015]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Migratory

Elementary unit: Mob/flock

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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