Red knot migration Calidris canutus
Press ▶ to play the year. Glow: GBIF records per month, adjusted for observer effort. Lines: tracked individuals (Movebank).
| Scientific name | Calidris canutus |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 50 cm |
| Adult weight | 126 g (male), 148 g (female) |
| IUCN status | Near threatened |
| Records mapped | 614,576 (GBIF) |
| GPS / geolocator tracks | 3 birds (Movebank) |
Facts from Wikidata Q27124 (CC0).
When does the red knot arrive in the UK?
Recorded in the UK in every season, so the records do not show one clear arrival date.
Bars: this species’ share of all UK bird records in GBIF (CC0/CC BY), by month, scaled to the peak month. Based on 56,600 UK records. Weekly counts from the GBIF occurrence search API (country=GB). Dates are read from records, not from a survey, so treat them as a guide.
Migration in the data
614,576 GBIF records (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 licences only) are mapped here, in 1.41° grid cells, month by month.
In Europe and Africa, the centre of the records (adjusted for observer effort) is furthest north in July (about 60°N) and furthest south in March (about 42°N).
Month by month: centre of records in Europe and Africa
| Month | Centre (latitude) | South of the Equator |
|---|---|---|
| January | 45°N | 3% |
| February | 45°N | 4% |
| March | 42°N | 6% |
| April | 42°N | 6% |
| May | 58°N | 1% |
| June | 52°N | 11% |
| July | 60°N | 1% |
| August | 56°N | 1% |
| September | 52°N | 1% |
| October | 49°N | 2% |
| November | 46°N | 4% |
| December | 45°N | 3% |
Tracked birds
- “CEU”: 7 Mar 2013 – 9 Nov 2013, between 67°N and 40°S. Dataset: Red Knot geolocator tracking New Zealand 2013 https://doi.org/10.5441/001/1.328 (CC BY 4.0)
- “EAB”: 10 Mar 2013 – 14 Nov 2013, between 66°N and 40°S. Dataset: Red Knot geolocator tracking New Zealand 2013 https://doi.org/10.5441/001/1.328 (CC BY 4.0)
- “EAA”: 10 Mar 2013 – 14 Nov 2013, between 49°N and 40°S. Dataset: Red Knot geolocator tracking New Zealand 2013 https://doi.org/10.5441/001/1.328 (CC BY 4.0)
About the red knot
The red knot or just knot is a medium-sized shorebird which breeds in tundra and the Arctic Cordillera in the far north of Canada, Europe, and Russia. It is the type species of the genus Calidris. Six subspecies are recognised.
From the Wikipedia article “Red knot” (revision 1380874445), CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sources
GBIF occurrence records, licence CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, observations only (no specimens), filtered with: taxonKey=2481765&license=CC0_1_0&license=CC_BY_4_0&occurrenceStatus=PRESENT&hasGeospatialIssue=false&basisOfRecord=HUMAN_OBSERVATION&basisOfRecord=MACHINE_OBSERVATION&basisOfRecord=OBSERVATION. Monthly queries: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec. GBIF.org (22 October 2026) occurrence data accessed via the GBIF API; a GBIF download DOI is still to be added. Contributing datasets.