A Red Knot foraging for bivalves in mud exhibits its ability to flex the tips of its upper mandible (rhynchokinesis).
Red Knots (Calidris canutus) feed on bivalves that live buried in mud. Using their smart bill tip, Red Knots are able to find such hard-shelled prey very efficiently. Red Knots are highly gregarious, and they use public information (observation of other Red Knots foraging) to help them find the best patches of prey. Once prey have been located, Red Knots use their remarkable ability to flex the tip of their upper mandible (rhynchokinesis) to grab and then extract bivalves from the sediment. This photograph originally appeared on the cover of Ecology (87:5) in May of 2006.
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| Primary or BEN resource type | |
|---|---|
| Format | |
| Core Concepts | |
| Drought & Water-Ecosystem Services Collection | Off |
| Conservation Targets Under Global Change Collection | Off |
| Big Data Collection | Off |
| Editor's Choice | No |
| Audience | |
| Pedagogical Use Description | This photograph can be used to illustrate shorebirds, Red Knots, or foraging for prey. |
| Keywords | bird, foraging, bivalve, communication, information |
| Key taxa | Red Knot, Calidris canutus |
| Life science discipline (subject) | |
| Primary Author Controlled Name | |
| Primary Author Affiliation | Netherlands |
| Primary Author email | n/a |
| Rights | Copyright 2006 by the Ecological Society of America. |
| Date Of Record Submission | 2008-04-07 |
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