knot

Wading bird belonging to the sandpiper family. It is about 25 cm/10 in long, with a short bill, neck, and legs. In the winter, it is grey above and white below, but in the breeding season, it is brick-red on the head and chest and black on the wings and back. It feeds on insects and molluscs. (Species Calidris canutus, family Scolopacidae, order Charadriiformes.)

Breeding in North American, European, and Asian arctic regions, knots travel widely in winter, to be found as far south as South Africa, Australasia, and southern parts of South America.