Red knots are a medium size shorebird. They are some of the largest members of the sandpiper family, with six known subspecies. Red knots have one of the longest migrations on record.

The red knot was first identified in 1756 by Carl Linnaeus. The six subspecies are widely distributed throughout the world and each travels its own unique migration path. The one that passes through New York and Pennsylvania is the Rufa, which was first catalogued by biologists in 1813.

Their breeding grounds are in the high arctic with the northern part of Hudson Bay in Canada being the bottom of the area. Most of them breed on Baffin Island and Queen Elizabeth Island, well above the Arctic Circle.

The red knots then fly all the way to the Tierra del Fuego archipelago at the extreme southern tip of South America by Cape Horn. Their migration distance is over 9,000 miles each way.

In their breeding grounds in the Arctic, red knots eat mostly arthropods, larvae and spiders. Along their migration, the birds eat bivalves (such as mussels), small whole crabs and gastropods. Their flight path brings them to New Jersey at the time when horseshoe crabs are laying eggs and they feast on this delicacy for energy to continue the journey.

The birds lose over half of their body weight during the more than 9,000 miles. They need to eat a lot to replenish.

Red knots are some of the longest living birds of their size. One of the European ones was banded in Northern Scotland and was located alive and well some 27 years, 3 months and 29 days later. The NYS DEC is aware of one here that is over 18 years old. Counting on my fingers, that poor little guy has probably flown more than 162,000 miles.

Winter plumage of the birds, while down in Tierra del Fuego, is a uniform grey color. Breeding plumage is grey on top with a light rear belly and the cinnamon breast, throat and face that gives them their name. Their legs are dark green.

Red knots are easy to identify when flying due to their fairly large size and white wing bars. They have an unusual mating ritual with the male circling very high in the sky and then tumbling to the ground with his wings held high.

Both the male and female incubate the eggs. Once the chicks are hatched, the female leaves and the male will care for them by himself.

One weird little fun fact: red knots have very muscular stomachs which, along with their gizzards, aid in breaking up small crabs for digestion.

The epic migration of the red knot is pretty amazing. It is not, however, the longest. That distinction falls on the Arctic Tern. One bird with a geolocator tag traveled a stunning 52,000 miles in ten months from one breeding season to the next. Arctic Terns travel a long, convoluted path from the Arctic all the way to the Antarctic.

Let’s all enjoy the outdoors!

John S. Van Etten is the current president of the Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs of Sullivan County, Inc.