Tom Jefferson (@TomJefferson1976)

The Moonbird Moonbird is the nickname of a rufa red knot shorebird. One Red Knot tagged  B95 lived to at least 19 years old. This remarkable bird, tagged in 1995, has flown over 400,000 miles—equivalent to the distance to the moon and halfway back—earning its name. It migrated annually from Tierra del Fuego to the Canadian Arctic, surviving decades longer than most of its kind despite habitat loss and food scarcity.  Its story is chronicled in Phillip Hoose’s book Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95. Interesting Moonbird Facts: Rufa Red Knot is one of the longest-distance migrants in the animal kingdom, flying up to 18,000 miles annually between the Canadian Arctic and the southern tip of South America.  This robin-sized shorebird undertakes a remarkable journey, relying on critical stopover sites like Delaware Bay, where it gorges on horseshoe crab eggs to nearly double its body weight before continuing north. During breeding season, the rufa red knot displays striking rufous (brick-red) plumage on its face, breast, and upper belly, making it easily identifiable.  In nonbreeding plumage, it adopts a more muted grayish-brown appearance for camouflage. It has a short, straight black bill and long, tapered wings, adapted for efficient flight over vast distances. One of the most fascinating traits is its enormous gizzard, the largest relative to body size among shorebirds, which allows it to crush hard-shelled mollusks whole.  Its survival depends on precise timing—arriving in Delaware Bay just as horseshoe crabs spawn, a synchronization threatened by overharvesting and climate change. Despite a 70–75% population decline since the 1980s, recent signs suggest recovery.  Biologist Larry Niles recorded 22,000 rufa red knots in 2023, the highest count since 2019, indicating improved conditions at key staging areas.  The bird, nicknamed “Moonbird” for traveling an estimated distance equivalent to a round trip to the moon, lived nearly 20 years—remarkable for a shorebird. The rufa red knot is federally listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, with ongoing threats from sea-level rise, habitat loss, and climate-driven mismatches in food availability.  Conservation efforts across the U.S., Canada, and South America are vital to its survival.