Red Knot Essay

The red knot (Calidris canutus) or the rufa red knot (Calidris canutus rufa) is a medium sized shorebird, the second largest sandpiper (Calidris), measuring between 25 and 28 cm long with a wingspan of approximately 20 inches (United State Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), n.d.). (See Figure 1). The species has been known to travel great distances; breeding in the Arctic regions of Canada and migrating south in the winter months to the coastal mudflats and tidal zones (USFWS, n.d.). Every spring the red knot reaches the beaches of Delaware Bay with very little body fat and for three short weeks forages on the highly nutritious eggs of horseshoe crabs before they continue migrating north to the Artic (Karpanty, et al., 2006). (See Figure 2). This
Protecting each of these species from human-caused disturbances and habitat degradation is critical. The recovery of the red knot population depends on the recovery of the horseshoe crab population (Niles, et. al., 2009). Extensive efforts have been made to restore horseshoe crab populations and increase availability of crab eggs to foraging red knot populations (Karpanty, et al. 2011). According to United States Fish & Wildlife Services (n.d.), the red knot numbers have stabilized in the past few years, but remain low compared to earlier decades. The best chance for halting and reversing the decline of the red knot is through restoration of the horseshoe crab and their eggs (Niles, et. al., 2009). By restoring the crab populations, Delaware Bay could once again provide the critical food resources to the red knot and other migrating birds. Furthermore, researches need to be mindful of the additional threats that face red knot populations. Rising temperatures caused by global climate change are altering the conditions of the bird’s breeding grounds and their habitats are being threaten by rising sea levels (Defenders,