Have You Not Heard of a Red Knot?!

Meet the red knot, a colourful sandpiper with the most gorgeous feathers! This beautiful bird is a real stunner, covered with feathers of terracotta orange, gold and black. But they’re not just about good looks. Red knots are also great travelers. In fact, they migrate over extremely long distances (up to 15,000 kilometers!). They head out from their nesting areas in Baffin Island, Nunavut, North Hudson Bay or the central Arctic, and they overwinter in much warmer South America. The trouble is that these fancy flyers are less common than they used to be, and sadly they’re now listed as Endangered in Canada.

A Chilly Start
A red knot starts its life in the Arctic. Females lay their eggs in nests they build on sunny slopes, trying to keep things as toasty as possible. Both male and female birds incubate their eggs for about three weeks until they hatch. Then it’s time for flying lessons! Once the chicks can fly, the family moves to lake shores and meadows to eat – and boy do they eat a lot! After all, they’re getting ready for a really long trip, so it’s super important they fuel up before they take off! What’s on the menu for these fancy birds? Mostly seafood! Mussels, clams, shrimp and horseshoe crab eggs are all favourites.

Time for Takeoff!
Once they’re all fueled up, the red knot will head out on its epic migration journey to South America. There it will spend its winters, and once the time is right it’ll head back to the North to breed. In order to complete this journey, red knots make a stop in Bahía de San Antonio, a beach in Argentina. Here they refuel, rest, and moult before they set out on an 8,000 km nonstop flight back to North America.

Unfortunately this important stopover site is becoming more and more developed, and increased traffic from holiday visitors and motorists has caused fewer red knots to stop there. With fewer red knots stopping in Bahía de San Antonio, fewer make it back to Canada, which makes it so important that we do our part to protect all the important sites along the journey of a migratory bird.

Help After a Long Flight
Earth Rangers has teamed up with International Conservation Fund of Canada (ICFC), Argentinean researcher Patricia Gonzalez and her Fundación Inalafquen, and the Provincial Environmental Rangers to protect the red knot’s important habitat at Bahía de San Antonio. By adopting a red knot, you’ll help protect this crucial area and reduce the impact humans are having, helping make sure these beautiful birds can safely continue their epic journey home!

Your adoption kit comes with a personalized certificate, red knot poster, and an adorable red knot plushie!

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