Personalities of Red Knots affect the way they search for food: Research

The areas in the Wadden Sea where Red Knots plump migratory birds spend the winter are under pressure The Wadden Sea is changing due to human influences such as mining for gas tourism and due to sea level rise Researcher Selin Ersoy an ecologist at the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research NIOZ studied how personalities of individual Red Knots differ and affect the way they search for food Individuals that are fast explorers and take the risk to forage in different areas also eat different food This could make the total population of Red Knots a lot more resilient while their environment is changing Red knots could copy the food gathering behaviour of adventurous peers who succeed in new places