SUPER SURPRISE THURSDAY # 30

SUPER SURPRISE

THURSDAY# 30

We’re heading to the shore to meet today’s Super Surprise animal! Any guess on if it’s a bird, mammal or reptile? Well it’s small and has feathers and looks for bugs and snails in the sand! Did that give you any guesses? Let’s grab our beach blankets and head down to the water!

MEET THE RED KNOT!

   Range/Habitat: Worldwide-except Antarctica/ ocean coastlines

   Diet: Carnivore: eggs, snails, spiders, crustaceans

   Length/Weight: 9-10”/ 3-8 oz

   Conservation Status: Common

Fun Facts:

• Red knots are a member of the sandpiper family.
• They probe in the mud and shallows for prey.
• Red knots have gray plumage. Their face and underbelly turn red during breading season.
• Red knots have one of the longest migrations of any bird, up to 9,300 miles. They travel from the arctic to South America.
• Red knots in America spend part of their migration in the Delaware Bay to eat horseshoe crab eggs.

We just can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon than to sit on the beach and watch the shore birds run around! Watch out for those seagulls though, they can be pushy! Do you have a favorite shore bird?