Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Florida
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Much of the focus of Red Knot research and conservation over the past twenty years has largely focused on just a few sites along the Atlantic flyway, primarily in the mid-Atlantic region. We currently do not fully know the distribution of juvenile Red Knots (approx. first 22 months after hatch). Without knowing where juvenile Red Knots occur, we could be missing key threats to this group such as habitat loss or degradation or human disturbance that need to be addressed. The primary goal of this project is to develop the information needed to make good conservation and management decisions on the juvenile life stage of Red Knots that will significantly contribute to the de-listing of the species. Specifically, we aim to identify the main area(s) where juvenile Red Knots occur during their first two years of life, how long they survive, if they recruit into the adult population, to achieve a better understanding of the potential threats where they occur, and to develop management recommendations to improve the conditions they face.