Conserve Wildlife Foundation is excited to release The Red Knot’s Journey, the second episode of ‘State of Change’, our podcast exploring how climate change is affecting wildlife in New Jersey.
Hosted by CWF executive director David Wheeler and produced by Matt Wozniak, each episode highlights a different climate change issue – and every story helps paint a portion of the big picture of our changing world. Read more about the ‘State of Change’ podcast.
The red knots migratory lifestyle takes them annually from breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic to the southern tip of Argentina – one of the longest migrations of any bird species on Earth.
During the migration to and from breeding and wintering grounds, red knots rest and refuel in New Jersey. They arrive here in May in breeding plumage and again in September while molting into non-breeding plumage. In its breeding plumage (May-August) the red knot has distinctive russet head and breast feathers.
The average peak number of red knots stopping at the Delaware Bay has dropped significantly since the late 1990s, generally attributed to a decline in their main food source, horseshoe crab eggs. Sadly climate change is posing greater threats to red knots, and they are now in danger at every stop along their impressive migration.
Resources:
- State of Change: The Red Knot’s Journey on Spotify
- CWF Shorebird Project
- Red Knot entry, CWF Field Guide
- Facts on sea level rise from NASA and NOAA
- Sealevelrise.org’s New Jersey Facts
- Coastal Resilience’s New Jersey Project
Tags: Climate Change, horseshoe crabs, migratory shorebirds, red knots, Shorebirds, State of Change Podcast