Great Knot - profile

Scientific name: Calidris tenuirostris 
 Conservation status in NSW: Vulnerable

Description

A medium-sized bulky wader with a straight, dark-brown bill and yellowish-brown legs. It has a striped crown with an indistinct white eyebrow. Its upperparts are grey, with dark feather tips; its underparts are white. The rump is pure white, the tail is tipped with grey. Breeding plumage consists of darker upperparts with black and chestnut markings.

Location and habitat

Distribution
 In NSW, the species has been recorded at scattered sites along the coast to about Narooma. It has also been observed inland at Tullakool, Armidale, Gilgandra and Griffith.

• Occurs within sheltered, coastal habitats containing large, intertidal mudflats or sandflats, including inlets, bays, harbours, estuaries and lagoons.
• Often recorded on sandy beaches with mudflats nearby, sandy spits and islets and sometimes on exposed reefs or rock platforms.
• Migrates to Australia from late August to early September, although juveniles may not arrive until October-November.
• Most birds return north in March and April, however some individuals may stay over winter in Australia.
• Forages for food by methodically thrusting its bill deep into the mud to search for invertebrates, such as bivalve molluscs, gastropods, polychaete worms and crustaceans.

Regional information
This species is found in the following catchment management authority regions. Click on a region name to see more details about the distribution, vegetation types and habitat preference of the species in that region.

• Hawkesbury/Nepean
• Hunter/Central Rivers
• Northern Rivers
• Southern Rivers
• Sydney Metro

Threats

• Hydrological changes to inland lakes may modify or remove important areas of suitable habitat for those individuals that overwinter in in Australia.
• Tourism or agricultural developments that reduce coastal and inland habitat areas.

Recovery strategies

Priority actions are the specific, practical things that must be done to recover a threatened species, population or ecological community. The Department of Environment and Conservation has identified 4 priority actions to help recover the Great Knot in New South Wales.

What needs to be done to recover this species?

• Control dogs on beaches and in estuaries.
• Give way' to birds when walking, driving or riding on the beach.
• Protect coastal areas from pollution.
• Protect and maintain known or potential habitat; implement protection zones around recent records.

References

• Higgins, P. and Davies, S. (eds.) (1996) Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds Volume 3: Snipe to Pigeons. Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
• Schodde, R. and Tidemann, S.C. (1988) Complete Book of Australian Birds. Second Edition. Reader's Digest, Sydney.
• Smith, P. (1991) The Biology and Management of Waders in NSW. Species Management Report Number 9. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Hurstville.